Tinsel Town
by OhMyWord
Summary: “I’m jealous. Was he nice? Is he as attractive up close as he is in movies?” “Yes and I wouldn’t know, but yes he’s very attractive. Really, really attractive.”
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I went to an awesome concert a few days ago and after the show I got autographs and one of the guys gave me a hug and it gave me this idea. Hopefully it will amuse you; I needed something a little lighter to write. No worries though, still quite a bit of lusting after in this one. And fulfillment? We'll see...

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

One

I wasn't sure, but it looked like she was about to start hyperventilating; but I hadn't ever seen someone do it before so I didn't know what it looked like. She stared at the computer screen, reading something again just to make sure she'd gotten it right. She muttered a quiet "Oh my God" under her breath. I was getting impatient.

"Alice, what is it?" I leaned over in my chair to look at her computer screen. The small book shop was quiet this early in the morning and she had been surfing the internet before her discovery.

"Look," she pointed at a small passage in today's newspaper. It said a film was shooting in town, mentioned the leads, explained that the movie was based on a book series. I must have missed something.

She pointed to the first sentence, "in and around the Portland area, Bella. That's _here_; do you think we'll see him?" I watched as her eyes went all soft at "him".

I felt vaguely embarrassed. "I don't know who 'him' is."

She looked at me like I'd grown a second head, "Edward Cullen, he's _gorgeous_ and brilliantly talented." She tapped a few things into the keyboard and a picture of who I assumed was Edward Cullen popped up. He _was_ gorgeous.

"Ok, he's good looking."

"He has that dark, brooding thing happening."

I chuckled at that. "I doubt we'll see him if they're filming." I stared at the picture a second longer. His eyes were a bright green and his hair was messy in a way that I assumed had to be on purpose. The way he stared into the camera made me think he had a chip on his shoulder. I snapped out of it as the front door opened and a customer came in. For a second I found myself hoping that it was him, but I brushed that off as silly and Alice influenced. The rest of the morning and afternoon passed slowly, with just enough customers that I didn't have time to think about much else.

At four, Jasper and a new girl came in for the afternoon shift. Jasper was desperately in love with Alice, but she seemed not to notice. I don't know how, he didn't hide it well. In truth, he was perpetually shy and coming from me, that was really shy. Alice, on the other hand, was perpetually exuberant. I thought they'd balance each other out well, but I didn't mention it to Alice.

"Hey Bella," he said, shrugging off his coat. "Alice," he smiled, lifting one half of his mouth. She muttered a quick hello and hopped off her seat, grabbing my hand and her jacket at the same time. She was excited, even for her, and I could only guess at where she was taking me.

"Hey Jasper," I replied, trying to get into my coat as Alice pulled me toward the exit. "What?" I said to her.

"I know where they're staying!" She said as she opened the front door. "See ya tomorrow," she directed at Jasper who was standing there staring at her a little too longingly. "Come on," she said to me. I waved quickly at Jasper and then let her lead me outside to her car.

"Even if this _is_ where they're staying, you're never going to see him. He's not going to be hanging out in the lobby." I was trying to talk her out of going to Edward Cullen's hotel, but she was having none of it.

"When was the last time you had any fun? "

"I don't consider this fun," I said dryly. "I have fun," I added defensively.

"Bella, reading at home on a Friday night doesn't count."

I couldn't deny it, she lived with me, she knew all about my lack of a social life. I sighed heavily, "so what is it you plan on doing anyway?" I cringed internally at the thought. Alice had what I referred to as the Lucy Ricardo gene.

She glanced at me, "nothing bad." I spent the rest of the drive thinking of all the things she may have come up with; I hoped my imagination was exaggerating.

After Alice parked, we walked toward the hotel; she walked with purpose, like she belonged there. This was one of the most expensive hotels in the area, we definitely didn't belong there. I looked at the rich colors of the fall leaves around me and thought about how nice it would be to be reading at my favorite park right now. We stood near the entrance and she faced me, a serious expression on her face. "Ok, I don't really have any good plan. I figure we can go one of two ways; we can wait around in the lobby and hope to see him. Or, I can flirt with the guy at the front desk, if it's a guy, and try and get his room number." She looked at me and I stared back dumbly; neither sounded like a good idea to me. "Ok then, let's go."

She told me go sit in the lobby while she went over to the front desk; there was one lone man standing there, poor sap. I took a seat facing the elevators as instructed and waited, hoping that she wouldn't get us kicked out. After a minute or so, I turned in my seat to look over at Alice; she was leaning over the counter, her back to me. By the look on the man's face, she was doing a decent job. I grinned and righted myself in the chair. Alice did make my life more interesting, I'd give her that.

I watched absently as the elevator doors opened and an older woman got out with a chocolate colored puppy. He wagged his tail and tried to lick her face. I was so distracted that I almost didn't see him walk out of the elevator behind her. I would have recognized him anywhere and that fact was not lost on me as I watched him walk toward the lobby. He wore sunglasses and his hair was just as haphazard as it had been in the picture from this morning. He wore dark jeans and a blue button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up part way despite the cold outside which is where he appeared to be heading. Edward Cullen had my complete attention, so much so that I forgot all about Alice who hadn't stopped her flirting. I stood up to watch him walk outside, only after he had left did the present come back to me.

I got up and walked over to Alice, unsubtly clearing my throat as I approached. She turned and looked at me, an exasperated expression on her face. I tried to tell her without words that we had to go and she seemed to catch on to my urgency at least enough to give up with the man behind the counter. I rushed her outside. "What?" She asked, not trying to hide her irritation.

"You missed him," I said the words in a rush, bracing myself.

"What do you mean?"

"Edward Cullen, he walked out right behind you a minute ago."

"What?!" She shrieked. "You didn't try to stop him or anything?!"

I snorted a laugh, "what should I have done? Thrown myself at him?"

"Yes!"

I turned her toward the car, "I'll buy you a drink?"

She sighed heavily, "you are the worst Ethel ever."

"Several drinks?"

I thought about my very specific reaction to seeing Edward Cullen on the drive. It was like a current of electricity that both made me want to go to him and pinned me to the floor. I felt magnetized. For the rest of the evening, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening. In the end, I chalked it up to the same celebrity fever that gripped Alice.

I attempted to, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I added a few pictures to go with this story on my profile. Also, thank you for the reviews, I love them and keep them coming!

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Two

I had a hard time sleeping that night; I kept dreaming about seeing Edward Cullen. I was following him through a crowd, but I was losing ground; every time I thought I was catching up, he'd disappear around a corner or through a door. I got up at seven even though it was Saturday and only Alice had to go into work. I showered and dressed, trying to remember what time a nearby coffee house opened. It didn't matter; I needed to get out of the apartment for a while. I left Alice a note saying I was out for the morning and grabbed my coat to leave.

It was a cold morning, the clouds so thick it looked more like eight at night. Fog had rolled in overnight which added to the eerie feel of the empty streets. I pulled my coat tighter around me and decided to walk regardless; I had a strange urge to clear my head. About half way to the coffee shop it occurred to me that I'd forgotten my umbrella; it occurred to me because it had started raining, heavily. I felt the water seeping onto my skin despite the jacket and I was drenched and shivering by the time I got to the front doors. I pulled the door open and rushed inside.

I should really start paying more attention.

The lid popped off the cup before he actually dropped it. We were close enough to each other that we were spilled on pretty equally; I don't know if that made me feel better or worse. He hissed through his teeth as the coffee burned him despite the shirt he wore. I immediately pulled my own t-shirt away from my body at the chest, trying to avoid a similar fate. I stood there moronically for a moment, my dripping hair doing nothing to dilute the coffee spill that was puddled around our feet. I looked up, it was Edward Cullen. Of course it was.

"Um, I…I'm sorry?" Did I just _ask_ him if I was _sorry_? "I mean I am…sorry." Oh much better. At this point, a staff person had come to clean up my mess. I apologized profusely and offered to help, but she waved me off. I backed up and looked at the object of my last night's dream. "Can I get you another one? I feel really…" I sighed to myself, "I'm really embarrassed if that helps," I muttered.

"It's quite alright," he chuckled at something. "And it doesn't help." His voice was almost as gorgeous as he was; it reminded me of a rich dessert.

"You'd think I wouldn't be, this happens more often than you might think." Why did I just say that? I'm going to stop talking. I looked up at him, even if I wanted to say something, I don't think I could. He was looking at me intently, I wondered if he looked at everyone that way, with a lopsided smile on his face. My mouth opened a fraction; I closed it before it could drop to the floor. I tried to think of something to say despite my earlier vow of silence. "Are you sure I can't get you another one?"

He tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth momentarily and I thought I might stop breathing. "Ok, you look too sad to say no to."

My joy was mitigated by the second part of that statement, I looked too sad? Truthfully, I had no idea what I looked like. Typically I didn't care too much about my appearance, but there was something about him that made me want to check a mirror. I'd looked decent enough when I left this morning but…the rain. I had to get to a bathroom. "Um, excuse me a minute." He nodded and I tried a casual jog to the restroom. Inside, I looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked like a drowned rat.

I hoped it was the lighting, my normally pale complexion was even more pallid than usual, my shirt was damp with water and coffee and, to my absolute horror, mostly see through. It was white. I buttoned my coat which mostly took care of that problem. My hair was wet, but beginning to dry; I dug around in all my pockets for something to pull it back with. I found a hair tie and pulled my hair up off my neck. I didn't exactly look like I'd pictured when I met the literal man of my dreams (or dream), but I looked better. I hoped he wouldn't notice the change too much when I walked back out.

I didn't want to admit it to myself in the bathroom, but I half expected him to be gone when I came back. Thankfully, he was still there; a small smile played at his lips, but he didn't say anything. I gestured toward the line; there were three people in front of us, but no one appeared to recognize him. From what I gathered from Alice, he seemed to attract the teen girl set and it appeared to be too early on a Saturday for them to be awake yet. "I'm sorry again; it's one of those mornings I guess."

"It's alright; it woke me up more than if I'd actually drank it." He paused and glanced down at me, something indecipherable crossed his perfect features. "I'm Edward."

"Bella, nice to meet you." I wanted to shake his hand, but by the time I'd gathered up the courage, the moment had passed and it would have just been weird. I didn't know what I could say to him without revealing that I already knew who he was, so I stood there in awkward silence and prayed for the line to move faster. When it was our turn he ordered his coffee and I got the same. We stepped out of line to stand at the pickup counter.

"So Bella, what are you doing out so early on a Saturday?"

"I've been up for a while, felt the need to get out for a bit. You?"

"Oh, I have to be into work pretty soon, but I needed a breather. Too many people around, you know?"

"Yeah," I sort of did, anyway. He could have said he'd just killed someone and I would have found a way to empathize.

"What do you do?"

"I work in a bookstore downtown, it's a little independently owned one, has lots of rare books."

"That fits," he grinned while I tried to interpret what that meant. Was he saying I was bookish? Boring? Quiet? Bella plain and tall? I'm actually not even tall. Before I could say anything else, the barista called our order. Suddenly, I felt like I was dragging my feet, as uncomfortable as this was, I didn't want it to be over yet. He grabbed both coffees and handed me one, I noticed he drank his black. "Well, it was nice meeting you," he smiled part way, "thank you for the coffee."

I smiled, "nice meeting you too. And I'm sorry about the clumsiness."

"It's charming." He took a sip from his cup, "see ya, Bella."

"Bye," I wanted to say something brilliant to keep him from leaving, but "bye" was all I could come up with. He nodded once and then walked quickly out the door. Outside, there was a black car idling on the curb waiting for him that I hadn't seen when I got here.

I sat on one of the oversized chairs in the corner and waited for the rain to let up. I picked up a newspaper that was sitting on a small table beside me; it was yesterdays. At once I flipped through it until I found the passage Alice had shown me. It didn't say where exactly they were filming, which I'd known already. That's when I remembered Alice.

She was going to kill me.

It was almost nine o'clock which meant she should be at work; I waited another few minutes just to be sure.

By lunchtime I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I had changed into something more suitable at this point so I grabbed my keys and my jacket and headed to the bookstore.

"He _spoke_ to you?!" Alice was not pleased that she'd missed my morning coffee dumping experience. I'd invited her out to lunch; I figured she'd get in less trouble being exclamatory outside.

"You're missing the point, I dumped his coffee all over us; it was humiliating." We sat inside a diner eating sandwiches, well I was eating and Alice was moping.

"Did you touch him? Like shake his hand or anything?"

"Just when I ran into him and mostly that felt like burning hot coffee." I took a bite of my food.

"I'm jealous. Was he nice? Is he as attractive up close as he is in movies?"

"Yes and I wouldn't know, but yes he's very attractive. Really, really attractive."

"You should go to wherever they're filming and try and talk with him, make friends," Alice smiled mischievously.

"That sounds more like something you would do. I'm fine with the way things are, besides he'd probably run if he saw me again."

"You're such a pessimist."

"Oh, he did call me charming," I grinned at Alice's beaming expression.

"That settles it then; you need to go find him."

I sighed, "Alice, eat your sandwich."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews!

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Three

As much as I tried, I couldn't get him out of my head all weekend. It didn't help that I didn't have to work and Alice did, that's too much alone time with my one track mind. I couldn't quite remember what it really felt like to be up against his chest for that brief second we were in contact; goodness knows I ran that scene in my head more than once. I only remember it feeling very solid, like I'd run into a wall. I remembered how he had a penchant for smiling crookedly, how his eyes were bright and his cheekbones high, and how he had this old soul look about him, like he'd seen a lot. I wondered what he was doing randomly during the day and I knew then that I had it bad.

I had it bad for someone I was probably never going to see again.

On Monday, Alice and I were up early for work. She insisted on getting coffee, even though she never drinks it (Alice is naturally caffeinated), at the same place I'd been on Saturday. Just in case. And I took her without argument, you know, just in case. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, he wasn't there. So Alice bought a big pastry to split with me and we were on our way.

The day went by excruciatingly slowly, broken up only by the rare customer that didn't know what they were looking for. By noon time it was also sunny which just made the day more depressing. Jasper came in after lunch to work in the back, but there wasn't much to be done. He spent the majority of his time with us, or Alice rather. She was nice to him, but didn't treat him as anything but a friend. Jasper didn't help his case much, at the moment he was talking to her about behavioral psychology. He was a PhD candidate in clinical psychology and whenever he tried to talk to Alice for an extended period of time, it inevitably went to that topic. He and I had normal conversations though; I guess that two conversationally disabled people made one mostly articulate person.

I wanted to look up more information on Edward Cullen, but I couldn't with Alice and Jasper sitting right next to me. As it turned out, that was unnecessary.

He had just walked in.

Alice and I froze, I'm sure we looked completely ridiculous. It was also one of the first times we had ever reacted exactly the same way to anything. Jasper looked up casually; blissfully ignorant of what was going on. Alice snapped out of it first. "Hi," she said brightly, "can we help you with something?" I smiled belatedly.

He smiled that smile of his and looked pointedly at me. "I was looking for something rare and was told this might be a good place to look."

I locked my teeth together to keep from giggling; I was going for a very nonplussed about the whole situation expression. Alice scribbled a note down on a pad of paper and grabbed Jasper by the arm, standing up. "Well, then Bella is who you're looking for, she can help you with anything," Alice smiled again before dragging Jasper in the direction of the stock room. She looked at me from behind Edward and mouthed a very dramatic "damn" before smiling and running to the back. I wondered what Jasper must be thinking about all of this, probably not much if it meant he'd get to be stuck in the back room with Alice.

This meant he remembered me, was he actually looking for a book? For me? How did he find this place? I took a deep breath, "hey, nice seeing you again. You're looking for a book?" I couldn't decide if he actually was or not.

"Among other things," he told me the name of an old children's book he said he was getting as a gift for somebody.

"Let me see if we have it." I typed a few things into the computer as Edward leaned forward on the counter; it was then that I remembered the note Alice wrote before she left. I glanced at the desk near my left hand.

_He wants you, go for it._

I swept the whole pad of paper off the desk and onto the floor. I heard Edward chuckling under his breath and on cue I turned a deep red. I was afraid to look up at him in case he'd managed to read the note before I knocked it off the desk. But I couldn't stare at the computer screen forever, so, very reluctantly I raised my eyes to meet his. He was doing that intense stare thing again. "Uh, I have it, we have it I mean. Let me get it for you," I tore my focus away for a second to grab the key from a desk drawer. He didn't say anything as I got up and went to the locked glass front bookcase behind me, but I knew he was still staring. I knew because I could see his reflection in the glass. Had he seen what Alice mouthed before she left? "Here we are, is this ok?" I handed him the book.

He looked at it, opened the cover, ran his fingers lightly over the first page; I held onto the corner of the desk to keep fully upright. He looked at me, "this looks perfect."

Edward gave the book back to me, I was a little disappointed when our hands didn't touch during the exchange. He paid for it and I wrapped it up and put it in a bag for him. I wanted to say something, start any kind of conversation, but I couldn't think of anything.

"Should I go now? Your friend is probably having a heart attack," he grinned crookedly at me.

My faded crimson was now deeper than ever; I shook my head, "you… you don't have to go if…you…if you don't want." Oh my God, he saw the note and her literally talking about him behind his back. He saw everything; he thinks I'm crazy. He thinks we're all crazy. No, he _knows_ we're all crazy. Why isn't he running? Ok, say something, say anything less stupid than what you just said. "She's crazy, in a good way I mean."

Stick to silence, it suits you.

Edward chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, looking around the store. "Do you mind if I hang out here?"

"I don't mind." I gestured to Alice's chair, "you can sit if you want." I maneuvered the pad of paper into the far corner under the desk with my foot; I had to throw that away soon. My heart was pounding and I was pretty sure I was still blushing.

"How long do you think they'll stay in there before they give up and come out?" He looked at me, moving around the counter to sit next to me.

"Want to find out?"

He laughed quietly at that, "so I suppose she told you what I'm doing here." He looked down at the desk.

"Yeah, but to be honest I don't really know much about the movie besides the fact that it's based on some books."

He looked surprised at that, "you should come down to the set some time. We're going to be here for a while." I was trying to gauge the seriousness of that statement when two girls came in; they looked to be right in Edward's demographic.

".God."

They were.

One girl hung back while the other walked right up to the counter. "Excuse me, are you Edward Cullen?"

I watched him debate in his head about telling the truth or not, but he said he was and smiled kindly at the girl that looked like she was going into shock. Her eyes were like saucers. "Oh my God," it came out like 'omigod'. She turned around and went to her friend, pulling her into an aisle. We could clearly hear them giggling to themselves as they planned what to do. I could relate to that reaction. They came back out a minute later, both holding the same book. I took it and rang them up while they grilled Edward.

"I love you! I'm so glad they picked you, how long are you staying?"

"Omigod, me too! Are regular people allowed on the set?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Where are you guys filming?"

After they paid, the girls asked if he would sign their books. He did so graciously. They thanked him profusely before they left, talking so fast I don't know how they could understand each other.

"Does that happen a lot?"

"It didn't used to until I started this movie."

"I don't think I could stand it."

He turned to face me, his long legs stretched out enough that I was practically sitting in between them. "How come?"

"The constant attention, I'm not built for that." I fiddled with my hands; his close proximity was starting to take its toll on me. "Oh." I stood up. "Alice and Jasper." Edward looked at me blankly for a moment before it clicked.

"I'm surprised they haven't given up yet." He looked toward the stock room door they had disappeared behind. I stood up quickly and bumped his knee walking around him; the contact igniting a warm coil low in my stomach.

I opened the door; the room was empty. I walked in and looked around; they seemed to be missing. I checked the clock on the wall, just after 3 o'clock. We weren't off until four. I opened the door that led outside behind the store, nothing.

Where the hell had they gone? And what was I supposed to do about the obscenely gorgeous man waiting for me inside?

I wasn't built for this either.

* * *

Author's Note: There is an Alice and Jasper intermission coming up that I hope you'll enjoy!


	4. Interlude

A Brief Interlude…

"What's going on?" Jasper asked, bewildered by Alice's behavior. He stood very close, grateful for the lack of available space in the stock room.

"That's _Edward Cullen_; he's here to see Bella! He likes her, I know it; I'm never wrong about these things," Alice whispered, practically jumping up and down.

"The actor?" Jasper was barely following.

"Shh! Yes, they ran into each other the other day and now he's here, that's something, right?"

"It could be. How can you tell?"

"I don't know, it's a gift. It seems pretty obvious to me that he likes her." Jasper laughed at something to himself. "What?"

"It's just funny that you can tell that a complete stranger likes Bella, but you can't-" He stopped himself, suddenly realizing what he was about to say.

"I can't what?" Alice faced him fully, putting her hands on her slim hips.

Jasper felt strangely brave. At the very least, he knew she wouldn't get mad and storm out; chances are it would interrupt whatever was going on with Bella and that actor and Alice doesn't seem to want anything to mess that up. He inhaled deeply. "You can't tell when someone likes _you_." He managed to hold her gaze, trying to read the emotions playing out across her face. Did he just ruin their friendship? It was too late to go back now.

She let her hands fall back down to her sides, seeming to be thinking carefully about what she was going to say. "Does…someone like me?" Alice asked, although it was obvious she knew the answer.

Jasper shifted his weight from one foot to the other and then back again. Go for it. Go for it? "Yes."

Alice stood there silently, moving her eyes from Jasper to the floor, debating with herself. Finally, she looked back to his face. His eyes, his whole being if she was being honest with herself, was fixated on her, waiting for her to say something. She stood there quietly, just watching him watch her. After an interminable amount of time, Alice took a hesitant step forward. Their bodies barely grazing each other, she looked up at him.

He stood unmoving, afraid that the slightest twitch would bring her to her senses. She reached up and touched his face. Jasper was a model of control as Alice grazed her thumb across his cheek, moving her hand to cup his face. She stood up on her toes and was still a bit too short to reach him.

He met her halfway.


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I'm glad you guys liked the Alice and Jasper intermission; I'll be adding those periodically throughout this story (which is turning out to be a very long one), but they'll be added in addition to regular chapters and not in lieu of in case anyone is wondering. Thanks again for the reviews :)

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Four

I walked back into the stock room and noticed a piece of paper tacked to the bulletin board. The script looked rushed and tilted downward on the page, but it was definitely Alice's writing.

_We had to go, sorry, no worries, good luck!_

I took it with me and walked back inside; Edward was flipping through what looked like one of Alice's magazines. The sight was so odd it stopped me. "What are you doing?"

He flipped the magazine face down on the counter. "What?" A small smile played at his lips; he knew he'd been caught. "There was an interesting article in there." His smile grew. It was disarming and in a way it put me at ease. I walked up to the customer side of the counter and picked up the magazine.

"Celebrity beauty secrets? Or, how to hook him on the first date?" I teased.

He snatched it out of my hands, "no, I was reading the article by Christiane Amanpour." He opened it to an article in the back, and then turned it so I could see.

"Oh, ok then." I walked back around to my seat just as a middle aged woman came in.

"You're Edward Cullen!" I groaned mentally; I had a feeling that Edward had come here to get away from people like that.

"That's me."

"My daughters just love you, would you mind signing my," she paused, digging through her purse, "my receipt?" She handed him the receipt from a department store down the block. He took and signed it, making idle conversation with the woman. She gushed to him about how excited her girls would be to find out she'd met _the_ Edward Cullen. He smiled and shook her hand. After that display, she acknowledged me to ask for a book she'd ordered.

After she left my unease came back. I wanted to get inside his head, why was he here? Why did he want to stay? I decided to just ask. I looked down at my hands while he looked at me. "Can I ask you something?" He nodded. I took a breath, "why are you here?"

"I'm in a movie that's shooting around here. It's pretty dependent on the weather though and when the sun came out they couldn't shoot any of my scenes for the day; so I got a reprieve." He faced me, stretching his lanky form out again; he looked completely comfortable.

"That's not exactly what I meant. I mean here, like here with me." I leaned forward to rest my elbows on the counter. He didn't say anything for long enough that I turned to face him.

"Well, you-"

Another customer walked in before Edward could continue. He was an older man that came in regularly; he was a part of a book club put together by one of the senior centers in town. "Well, if it isn't my favorite shop girl," he smiled brightly, the lines around his eyes becoming more pronounced. His expression was warm and open; he always looked like he'd just received good news.

"How are you, Sam?" I smiled back; I considered him my surrogate grandfather. Sam told me about the newest book he needed and asked what I had been up to. We talked for a few minutes, Sam all but ignoring Edward. I, however, was constantly aware of his gaze which never seemed to leave me.

I was hoping Edward hadn't forgotten my question once Sam left. I mustered up my courage and faced him again, turning so my feet were between his. "So, what am I doing here, right?" He asked, grinning. Without waiting for my answer, he continued, "well, I actually _was_ looking for a book. But you, I don't know…you make me feel normal." He looked down at the counter and then back up at me, "I don't really know anyone around here not related to the film and…I guess I just wanted to get to know you."

"Because I spilled coffee on you?"

He laughed, "no, in spite of that."

"Oh," I still wasn't sure what to make of that. A big part of me wanted to ask 'but why me' that I held in check. "Alice and Jasper left me a note; they had to go, but it didn't say where or why," I told him, for lack of anything better to say. He found that funny for some reason, which made me think he knew something I didn't, but that was impossible. I looked at my watch just as Angela, the new girl, came walking in. My face fell, that meant Edward would probably leave to go about his day soon.

"Hey Bella," Angela smiled kindly. She nodded and said a quiet hello to Edward, not seeming to recognize him. Everything about Angela was quiet and soft, in a way I envied her that. It was almost the opposite of the way I seemed to stumble through life. "Are you working here too?" She asked him.

"No, I was just visiting with Bella. I'm Edward," he put out his hand which she took. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

Why couldn't I have met him under circumstances more like that? I stood up and stretched then grabbed my coat off the back of my chair. "You probably won't need that; it's turned into a really nice afternoon." Angela gestured toward my coat.

"That's rare," I commented. "Ben should be in pretty soon." I watched as her eyes brightened at that. They had just gone on their first date the previous weekend. "I'll see you later Angela."

"Bye you guys." She said, settling into her chair.

Edward held the door open for me; I felt like I was dragging my feet through sand trying to make this last longer. We'd barely had any kind of conversation. Outside, the sidewalks were beginning to dry, the last of the fall leaves still stuck to the pavement. I walked away from the entrance with Edward, preparing to say good bye. "Well, I'm glad you came in today. I didn't spill anything on you, so already it's better than last time." I let out an awkward laugh.

"Oh, did you have somewhere you needed to be?" Was that disappointment in his eyes? I was probably making things up.

"No, I just figured…you'd want to get back to your day." I switched my coat from my left to my right hand. He took a small step closer.

"I don't have anywhere I need to be. I was hoping you'd want to stay with me for a while."

He wanted me to hang out with him? I felt like I was going to wake up any minute. "Ok," was all I could manage.

"Do you mind if we go someplace a little more private?" My stomach tightened at his words. He smiled quickly and glanced across the street where a group of girls stood staring. With less subtlety, I looked over. Two of them had cell phones out; one was talking on hers while the other appeared to be taking a picture.

"Yeah, of course. Where to?"

"I don't really know the city…" he trailed off.

"Oh that's right." I had been hoping my inability to think and speak would have worn off by now. "There's a park by my apartment that's pretty quiet. I go there to read sometimes."

"Sounds good, which way?" He seemed in a small hurry. I had a feeling he still wasn't used to all the new attention. I turned in the direction of the park and he touched the small of my back as if he was leading me instead of the other way around. I didn't mind, the contact made me want to lean into his side, but I refrained.

Once we got away from the girls, Edward slowed his pace, his hand now gone from my back. We were nearing the park when I tripped on an uneven part of the sidewalk, my jacket flying out in front of me. It landed in a heap on the ground, but I didn't. Edward was facing me, his eyebrows knit together; he had a hold of my upper arm. "This happens to you a lot, doesn't it." He said it as a statement rather than a question.

"You noticed that?" I tried to play it off, but between the embarrassment and Edward's hand on my arm, it wasn't easy.

"It's kind of hard not to," he looked like he was trying not to smile. I pulled my arm away maybe a little too hard and he bent down to grab my jacket for me. "Truce?"

I looked at him, making it look like I was actually debating his offer. "Yeah, I guess." I smiled at what looked like restrained relief crossing his features.

We walked into the park; there were a few people out walking dogs and jogging, but no one noticed us. I took him down a path while he commented on the beauty of living in a place with real seasons. We talked about his movies; I admitted that I hadn't seen any of them. He asked a lot about my life and my friends, my family. I wasn't used to being asked so many questions about myself. At one point I made a teasing comment about all the attention he must get from women and he laughed, putting an arm around my shoulders and squeezing for the briefest of moments before letting go. "I only like the attention I get from one woman." He looked at me sheepishly. I smiled back, hoping that if this was a dream, I'd get to stay in it forever.


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews; I really appreciate them.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Five

It was almost six o'clock when we got back to my apartment. Edward had asked me to dinner, but I wanted to check and see if Alice was home first. I called to her as I pulled my key out of the door. I turned to the right and tossed my coat onto a low, wide cream colored bookshelf. I called her name again as Edward moved around the apartment; he was careful not to touch anything, moving curiously from the entryway right, deeper into the living room. I turned left to face the open kitchen, but she wasn't in there either. From the entryway, you can walk straight back to the hallway. Her bedroom was the first door on the right; it ran parallel to the living room. Mine was opposite hers, the bathroom and laundry room were at the end of the hall. I walked toward her bedroom, but before I could knock she swung the door open and smiled big, maybe too big. "Hi, Bella, what's up?"

"Where've you been?"

"Oh, Jasper had a family emergency, didn't want to go alone. Sorry we didn't tell you, but he was kind of in a hurry."

I tried to judge her honesty, but having Edward in the other room was distracting. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, false alarm." She stared at me for a second, listening for something. "Is he _here_?!" Her smile got wider.

"Shh! Yes and be quiet, I wanted to check on you. We're going to dinner, that's it, no story," I rushed out, whispering.

"Ok well I'm going out for the night if you guys want to stay in," she raised one side of her mouth in a sly smile.

"Alice, please don't."

She stepped out and pulled the door almost closed behind her. "I need to finish getting ready; can you do me a favor?" She looked behind me down the hall toward the kitchen, seeing Edward standing near another bookshelf. "Hi, Edward."

"Hey Alice," he smiled.

She looked back at me, "um, can you grab my wallet? I think it's in the kitchen."

I looked at her strangely; I knew she was hiding something. "Ok." I turned and went to the kitchen. I found the wallet easily enough and within moments Alice was back wearing skintight jeans, a silk top, and massively high heels. She said she'd be back late and then practically ran out the door.

Edward was in the living room, looking at a large built in bookshelf that went along the entire far wall over the windows. He touched the wooden ladder, it was on casters, and smiled to himself. "You know, I've never seen this before."

I suddenly felt very self-conscious, "yeah, I have a lot of books." In addition to the shelf, I also had two other low, wide book shelves in the living room alone.

"Are these all yours?"

"No, well most of them, not all of them though."

He walked back to where I was standing in the open space between the kitchen and the living room. "I was wondering if you minded maybe…staying in? If you don't want-"

"I'd like that." Was that too enthusiastic? I didn't care.

There wasn't much about the apartment to show him except the living room; he seemed impressed by my book collection. We had decided on ordering a pizza and were settled on the couch, which sat near the window, playing twenty questions.

"Is it an occupation?" Edward was on his last five questions.

"Yes...it can be."

"Is it something people do outside?"

"Sometimes," I laughed at his mild frustration. I had won the last round in only seven questions.

"This is hard when you don't just say yes or no." He paused, thinking carefully. "Does it involve working with your hands?"

"Yes, in a way." I laughed again.

"Do you wear a uniform to do it?"

"No."

"Am I getting closer?"

"I thought so for a minute, now I'm not sure. Ok, take a guess."

"Um, contractor?"

I laughed at his answer. "Nope!"

He rested back on the couch, "what was it?"

I smiled brightly, "palm reader." He looked at me incredulously.

"Well, no wonder I couldn't get it. It'd be easier if I could just read your mind." He was about to say more, but there was a knock at the door. I got up to get it, but Edward touched my shoulder to sit me back down. "I got it."

"I'm not going to make you pay for dinner," I protested, standing up.

"I would have wanted to pay had we gone out, same thing," he was already reaching into his pocket for his wallet. I gave up, making my way to the kitchen to grab a few things. When I came back, Edward had the box open on the coffee table. "Movie?"

"Sure," I handed him a plate and he handed me the remote. I turned the television on; it was already set to a classic movie channel so I just left it there. We relaxed back and ate quietly, watching a movie about a retired criminal being framed in the French Riviera.

I felt him scoot closer once we'd finished eating; I kicked off my shoes and tucked my legs underneath me, leaning toward him. After a while, I started getting sleepy. He slipped an arm over my shoulders, pulling me close enough that I could rest my head on him. I smiled to myself, hoping that he couldn't see my face. We finished watching the movie this way, although I couldn't really tell you much about what happened. I was consumed by the fact that we were touching. I felt the fingers of his right hand moving softly up and down my shoulder and the slow rising and falling of his chest as he breathed. I could feel the security of his arm around me and I suddenly began hoping he'd kiss me.

After the movie was over, neither of us seemed to want to move so we just let it go on to the next one. I was afraid that if I did anything it would break the spell and Edward would realize that he didn't want to be here with me anymore. So I tried to stay still, still enough that eventually he noticed.

"Are you ok?" I could feel his chin touch my head as he looked down to see my face. I nodded once, not trusting myself to talk. I felt his hand go under my chin, tilting it upward. He studied my expression. "I'm glad I'm here with you." He moved his hand from under my chin so it was cupped around my jaw. I could feel the heat from his hand and it became the only thing I could think about. There was a subtle shift on the couch as he leaned forward; I felt the soft contact of his lips for only the shortest of moments before – keys in the door.

We broke contact and turned toward the door. Alice came in holding her shoes in one hand, her purse in the other. She let out a short gasp when she saw us, "oh! I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd…I'm sorry! I could go if you want!"

I sighed quietly and leaned back; very aware that Edward's arm was still around me. "No, that's ok. How was your night?" I felt very tightly wound at that moment; Edward however seemed completely at ease, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed loosely at the ankle. It was like we did this every night.

"Fun," she said lightly, but her beaming smile betrayed her nonchalance. "Well I'm going to bed now. Good night, you two." She practically floated down the hall to her bedroom.

I took the opportunity to check the time, one o'clock. I felt Edward sigh and knew that it was time for the night to end. He turned his face to mine so he was looking at my profile, "I should get going," he murmured.

"Ok," I said, trying to make something resembling a smile.

"Do you want to come to the set tomorrow?"

I bit my lip and faced him, surprised at his very close proximity. "I'm working two shifts tomorrow."

"Oh, can I call you then? It shouldn't be too long of a day." We exchanged numbers and I got up to walk him to the door.

"Do you need me to drop you at your hotel?" It had just occurred to me that we'd walked here from the book shop.

"I drove to the bookstore, I can walk back-"

"Don't be silly, I can at least drive you back to your car," I slipped my shoes back on and grabbed my keys before he could argue. It would give us more time together anyway.

The drive only took about five minutes. I parked behind his car and walked him to the driver's side door; he wrapped his arms around me before I could think of anything to say. I pressed my face into his chest enjoying the warmth that seemed to radiate from him. He hugged in such a way that started to worry me though; it was like he was afraid he was never going to see me again.

"This could change things for you, being seen with me. I want you to know…I understand if you, if you decide that it's not worth it. The attention can be…overwhelming sometimes." He pulled back enough to look at me, his arms tightly around my waist. I couldn't imagine breaking things off at this point; I was feeling things for Edward after one day that I hadn't felt for my last boyfriend whom I was with for one year.

I looked up at him, "I want to be with you; I can deal with the rest if the first part stays the same."

Edward smiled and kissed me on the cheek, "call me selfish, but I was hoping you'd say that." He hugged me tightly again and we said our goodbye's, "I'll call you tomorrow," he said quietly, his lips close to my ear. He pressed a quick kiss on my cheek again before letting me go to get in his car. I felt a mix of euphoria and disappointment. He wanted to be with me, _me._ He also hadn't kissed me yet.

I could wait though; he was worth it.


	7. Interlude 2

A Brief Interlude…

Jasper had gone from leaning down to kiss Alice to grabbing her up by the waist so he could stand up straight. Her feet were almost a full twelve inches off the ground. His kissing reminded Alice of that expression "like he was going off to war"; she began to wonder how she'd never noticed him before. He had always been just Jasper. And now he was _Jasper_, the only man she could see in her immediate future. He bit her bottom lip gently, bringing Alice back to the present. He lifted her a bit higher and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They were going to need a change of venue soon or risk a seriously embarrassing situation. Alice could feel the hard planes of his body through his clothes as she pressed herself closer. Jasper set her on the edge of a shelf and loosened his hold, moving one hand to grip her thigh. He lowered his head to kiss her neck.

"We need to get out of here," she said into his ear, her voice husky.

"Where," he mumbled against her neck, continuing his movements down to her collarbone.

"My place, let's go." She pushed on his chest and hopped down to the floor. Reluctantly, she turned away from him and dashed over to a small table to leave Bella a note. She tacked it up on their little board and spun around, finding Jasper standing directly behind her. "Let's go out the back." She took his hand and rushed out the door.

Jasper found himself suddenly nervous once they were inside; Alice, however, was not. She led him into her bedroom and quietly closed the door behind him. When she looked into his eyes again, his gaze was soft, she would go so far as to say tender. She touched his face and he leaned down to kiss her again. The kiss was different this time, slower and more languid. He pulled her into him and eased them both onto the bed, then turned so Alice was under him. He grazed his thumb back and forth over her cheekbone, "you're so beautiful, Alice."

Something about that statement made her realize that he more than just liked her; there was _much_ more to it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, "stay with me."

"You didn't even have to ask," he murmured back.


	8. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, but I'm home all by my lonesome this week and haven't been able to really sit and write for any length of time. Thank you as always for the reviews.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Six

"Have you seen this?" It was Tuesday morning and Alice and I were back at the store, both of us were working all day. She had slipped her shoes off under the desk and sat Indian style on the computer chair; she reminded me of a little girl. It had started raining some time last night and now we both sat warming our hands around cups of hot chocolate. Alice bit her lip.

"Have I seen what?" I strained to see what she was obviously trying to hide. She did a quarter turn in her chair to face me.

"Don't get mad."

"Don't show me something that will make me mad," I was worried now.

Alice took a deep breath. "You're on the internet."

"What?" My first thought was, who the hell would be interested in seeing me on the internet? And then it hit me; they were interested in seeing _Edward_ and whoever he was with. I rolled my chair closer and grabbed the monitor, turning it toward me. It was a set of four pictures, both from yesterday, two of us during the afternoon, two from when we said goodbye last night. In the first two we were walking to the park, Edward's hand was at the small of my back; we were both smiling. They were almost the same picture. In the third, Edward had me in his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head; you couldn't see my face. In the last picture, Edward was kissing me on the cheek. I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to think; I had no frame of reference for this. "How did these get online so fast?" I could feel my face turning red as the weight of everything slowly sunk in. Somehow, someone found out where Edward was and then staked out the shop. They sat there in a car, or pretended to be a customer at the store across the street, or maybe they sat at a table at one of the outdoor café's, and watched us.

And now we were online with the sidebar that read: _Is this rising star Edward Cullen's new lady love? Sources tell us that they spent the whole day together and that Edward was very "touchy feely" all afternoon. By the look of these pictures, most of the night too! _I wondered idly how much money the photographer made off those shots.

I tried to remember what I thought about last night, that he was worth it. That we were in this together. I sighed heavily, "Edward warned me that this would probably happen." Alice was staring at me as if she was waiting for me to spontaneously combust. "It's ok, Alice."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah," I wasn't sure how much I believed that, but I was trying to make it look like I was letting it roll off my back.

"Oh," it came out a little high pitched. "That's good then." She turned the monitor back toward her, "they're cute pictures at least." I huffed a laugh as a customer walked in.

I spent most of the rest of the morning wanting to call Edward, wanting to ask if he saw the pictures too. The more I thought about it though, the worse of an idea it became.

It was lunchtime and Alice was gone; she'd invited me but I felt like staying at the store. Angela was here re-shelving books so I took the time to look online for pictures of Edward. I know it sounds a little crazy, but I was curious to see how often this kind of thing happened to him. I found a website with his name that was operated by fans and went to the pictures. They had an entire section of "candid" shots. Most of them were from this year. As I browsed through them I wondered how he was able to handle everything. I had no idea, but I figured the least I could do was take it all with a grain of salt. Or pretend that I was.

Edward called a few minutes after Alice had gotten back from lunch; she shooed me into the stock room to take the call. "Hi," I was a little relieved that he called.

"Hey," he sounded wary. "So I talked to my publicist today, she found a few pictures of us, online. I'm really-"

"I saw them."

"Yeah? Are you alright? I know it can be…off putting. If you change your mind about-"

"I meant what I said last night. A few pictures aren't going to scare me off," I said, hoping he could hear the smile in my voice.

"I'm glad," he managed to sound relieved and worried in the same breath. "It might get worse, that's what they're telling me anyway." It was like he was trying to alarm me enough to change my mind about him.

"I'm not going anywhere." We finished our conversation and I asked him to come over when he was done filming for the day. He warned me it would be late, but I said I didn't care.

Alice, naturally, wanted a verbatim transcript of our conversation which I gave for the most part after more than a little complaining on both sides. She also wanted to know if we'd kissed yet and if he smelled good (no and yes). Her third degree reminded me of something I wanted to ask her, "what was going on with you yesterday?" I guess I wasn't one for tact today.

"What do you mean?"

"You were, I don't know, hyper or something and you left work in the middle of the day. What was going on?"

She laughed lightly, "nothing."

I stared at her for a moment, watching her trying to hide a smile. "What _is_ it?"

"Ok," she lowered her voice, "I'm, don't say anything-."

"Who would I tell?"

"True, ok, I'm sort of seeing someone-"

Before she could continue, Jasper walked in. He smiled at the both of us, lingering on Alice's face as usual. "Hey you guys," he said. Jasper pulled off his coat and scarf and tossed his umbrella on the floor behind us. He seemed different today, less intense or something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Angela came up then to get her things and go home; she was beginning to grow on all of us. I made plans with her before she left to have lunch together on Friday.

It was a busy afternoon and I didn't have time to ask about whoever Alice was dating. I decided to leave it alone; I figured she'd tell me when she wanted to. It slowed down about thirty minutes before closing; Alice was browsing the internet and I was reading. The quiet time made me think about the pictures again. Would there be more? Yes, most likely as long as we were in public together. Would people start to recognize me on the street? Don't give yourself too much credit. "Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do people, or you I guess, like those kind of pictures?"

She hesitated, already knowing what I was referring to, "well, it's not like I don't know how they're taken. I realize it's intrusive and everything, but…I don't know, I'm just curious, you know? You never know when a celebrity is actually being themselves, they can give canned answers in an interview, posed pictures aren't real…so I guess it's because this way you can see someone being normal, you can see a glimpse of how they live, who they are…" She let her thoughts trail off. "Does that bother you?"

I shrugged, "I guess I can understand that part of it, I don't know…"

She looked at me for a moment, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, she went back to looking at her computer monitor.

I told Alice that I'd asked Edward to come over and she volunteered to make herself scarce. I asked if she was going to see the new man she'd mentioned and she just smiled. I still had no idea who it was.

I wandered around the apartment after she left that evening, my phone ringer turned up loud. After a while I made dinner, wondering if I should make more in case Edward was hungry. I put the leftovers in the fridge and sat on the couch, turning the television on to a movie. By ten o'clock I was starting to doze off; I grabbed a blanket and lay down, telling myself not to fall asleep. By eleven I was out.

* * *

Edward parked in front of the building thinking about whether he should have called, or come over in the first place. He didn't want to wake her up if she was sleeping, but he didn't want to come over without letting her know, even if she did invite him already. He pulled his keys out of the ignition and walked up to the front door; he looked at the panel of names to find Bella's. Before he could press the button, a man opened the door to walk out. He held it open for Edward who closed the door behind him, thinking that holding the front door open for complete strangers in the middle of the night probably wasn't the safest thing a person could do.

He knocked on the door as softly as he could manage and still hope to be heard. He listened for movement and didn't hear anything so he knocked again, louder this time. What compelled him to do this, he couldn't say, but he put his hand out and grasped the knob. The door was unlocked; he made another mental note and opened the door, unable to resist. As his feet carried him toward the living room he told himself to leave, that this was completely inappropriate, that she would get mad at him for barging into her apartment, that he should go back to the hotel and get some sleep, that he was acting crazy. But when he saw her sleeping on the couch, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave.

A movie was playing very low on the television, the remote sat discarded on the coffee table. Edward turned off the TV and kneeled down, brushing some hair back off Bella's face. She was on her back, her hair fanned out around her. She looked soft and vulnerable and he couldn't bear to wake her. Moving to the other end of the couch and lifting her feet he sat down, so her legs were resting in his lap. He fixed the blanket around her and then got comfortable, leaning his head on the back of the couch, he tilted to face her. Idly, he moved his fingers in small circles over her blanket covered calf.

She stirred and mumbled a quiet "Edward." His head snapped up.

"Did I wake you?" He leaned slightly toward her and noticed that her eyes were still closed; she was sleeping.

"See…Edward…" She said, barely above a whisper.

Slowly, he changed positions on the couch to lay next to her, freezing every time she adjusted. He couldn't say why; but he felt a pull toward her that he couldn't (and didn't want to) resist. After what felt like an hour, he was situated on his side facing her. He left the blanket where it was over her and slipped an arm over her middle, resting his head so it just slightly touched her shoulder. He kissed it lightly and closed his eyes; within moments he was asleep.


	9. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this one, the reviews have been awesome.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Seven

Sensation in my body was slowly coming back to me as I woke up; it happened by degrees. First, I felt weighted down, it was hard to describe. Then came the soreness which I didn't understand until I remembered that I'd slept on the couch. Then heat, I realized I was very, very warm even though I only had one light blanket over me. Gradually I let my eyes open a tiny bit; I was staring at the too bright ceiling. I felt like I'd slept in the same position all night; I probably had. I tried to move an arm and discovered that it was pinned down. I opened my eyes the rest of the way and become conscious of the fact that I was not alone; by a fraction I moved my head to see what was going on. In my confused, half awake state it could have been anyone next to me. But it wasn't anyone, it was Edward.

A million things rushed through my head at once. Pure excitement and nerves came first, then the questions. What was he doing here? How did he get inside? Alice? Was Alice even here? What time is it? Had he been here all night? When did he get here? Was I awake for it and I just don't remember? I felt a vague mental spinning sensation.

It was replaced by – Edward's here, _with me_. The excitement and nerves came back. I suddenly wondered what I looked like; I had never really cared that much, but I had, after all, just woken up. I needed to comb my hair, shower, or at least brush my teeth.

In the two or three minutes it took me to process all of this I hadn't noticed that Edward was waking up as well. I felt him beginning to stretch his legs, his ankle popping dully; he was probably as sore as I was. He opened his eyes and in an instant was leaning up and away from me. "Oh!" He seemed as surprised as I was to find him on my couch. "Bella, I- I'm sorry-" He searched for words as he scrambled off the couch, his eyes cast down. He was looking for his shoes. I sat up, the blanket piled around me; I didn't care what I looked like anymore. "I don't know what I was thinking, I-" I had never seen him like this before. He knelt down with one shoe in his hand, scanning under the coffee table for the other, still rambling.

"Edward," I said as calmly as I could manage with him fumbling around me. It seemed to get his attention; it was the first word I'd spoken that morning.

His head snapped up, but he didn't say anything. I took in his appearance for a moment. He looked messy in that perfect way that only really attractive people are capable of doing. His hair stood on end and his dark blue t-shirt was rumpled; I noticed a dark grey jacket hanging off the arm of the couch. "It's alright that you're here," I paused, "I'm glad you're here, actually. I'm sorry I fell asleep."

"You don't have to apologize for that. I'm the one that let myself in and-" he seemed inordinately mad at himself.

"Oh, Alice didn't let you in?"

"No, your door was unlocked; you probably shouldn't leave it like that."

"So strange people don't come inside in the middle of the night?" I raised an eyebrow at him, a smile playing at my lips. I hoped he could see I was joking, that I wasn't mad at him in the slightest.

He grinned crookedly, "I'm not that strange; I am sorry though. This seemed like a better idea last night."

"I'm the one that invited you over even though I knew you'd be working late; it's not your fault." I sighed; we could go in circles all day. I moved over to the end of the couch nearer to him; he was still kneeling and holding his shoe. "Good morning," I grinned. He set the shoe down.

"Morning," he scooted closer to kneel between my legs. The excitement. The nerves. The knowledge that I haven't brushed my teeth yet. He chuckled to himself.

"What?"

"Your hair," my hands went immediately to my head to smooth down what probably looked more than a little ridiculous. "No, I like it," he put his hands to my waist. "You're beautiful."

I resisted the urge to brush off the compliment with a dig at myself. I hesitated, "regardless, do you mind if I go clean up?"

"Not at all."

He wanted to shower and change as well, so we made arrangements to meet for breakfast at a divey little diner that made the best waffles I'd ever had. I was a little nervous being out in public with Edward, but I was able to push it aside better than the day before. We were just two people going out for breakfast together.

I got to the diner first and took a booth at a far end, not that it mattered much, every booth sat against the window. The place was narrow, wider than it was deep, with ten booths and about a dozen counter seats. The place was like a throwback to the fifties, all the seats were covered in shiny red vinyl, the tables edged with what looked like chrome, and even a jukebox sat in a back corner. Currently, it was playing Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry. It smelled like bacon and maple syrup, I could feel my mouth watering waiting for Edward.

He pulled up a minute later, parking across the street. It wasn't raining, but it was very overcast and cold; he had the collar of his dark grey jacket turned up. I couldn't tell what kind of shirt he wore underneath it. I waved at him from inside as he approached the door and he gave me a lopsided grin back. He walked over to my table and sat across from me, pulling off his jacket; he had a thin dark green sweater underneath it. It brought out his eyes and became very distracting when I realized I could make out the shape of him through it.

We made small talk until a waitress came to give us menus. She looked like she may have grown up in the fifties. She wore her hair short and curled and had on honest to goodness black cat-eye reading glasses. The song switched to Twilight Time by The Platters. We both asked for waffles and orange juice and leaned in closer to each other once the waitress left. "I've never been to a place like this before," he grinned, reaching to brush his fingers over my hand; he left his hand resting on the table, just close enough that our fingers were brushing.

"Yeah, I know it's kind of corny, but –"

"I like it," he smiled again. His gaze flickered toward the window for a moment and his expression changed.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing," he tried to compose himself.

"What?" I turned to look where he had, but didn't notice anything.

"Don't," he sighed. "It's…someone just took our picture. I'm sorry; I'm not as used to it as I should be."

"It's not exactly something that happens to people all the time, it's alright. Do you want to just go? We can go back to my apartment if you want?" I was already grabbing my jacket off the seat, but Edward shook his head.

"No, let's stay here. We don't have to hide or anything, it's ok…Unless you want-"

"We can stay," I smiled, trying to reassure him. He took my hand again and squeezed. We stayed like that until our food came. He told me he wasn't due in until five that day; I had to be into work by four so he said he'd drop me off despite my protests.

We were just finishing our food when a man came and sat at the counter, spinning in the seat to face us. "Hey, aren't you that guy? Something Cullen?"

If Edward was irritated, he didn't show it. "Yes, that's me," he nodded a hello and turned back toward me.

"This your girlfriend?" He gestured a hand at me absently. I saw Edward tighten his jaw as he set his fork down. He turned his body toward the man this time.

"Look," he was going for civility. "We're just trying to eat here, there's no story." He kept his voice low, cordial, but I could see we'd attracted the attention of our waitress and an older man behind the counter.

"You didn't answer my question," he looked at me appraisingly. He shrugged, "she's not bad I guess." You could almost hear Edward's teeth snap together as he tried to hold back whatever he was about to say. I didn't know what I could do without making the rising tension worse, so I grabbed my jacket and pulled out my wallet to pay the bill. "You could do worse; at least you have something to do while you're here." The man was clearly goading Edward, did they know each other? He looked relaxed, leaning back, one elbow on the counter, waiting for a reaction. Edward stood up.

"Ok, I've had enough," it was the man from behind the counter. "You need to leave." I wanted to get up and kiss him. I looked over at Edward who was seething; he was about one sideways glance away from causing a bigger scene.

The man looked the other up and down dismissively, "I haven't done anything; you can't kick me out for no reason. I can't help it if he's a little hostile this morning."

"Well I own this place and I say I can, now let's go," he grabbed him around the upper arm. He grabbed his jacket and gave Edward and me a cursory glance before stalking out. Edward was still positioned between the counter and me, too surprised to do anything. The older man gave us both a quick nod and leaned over the counter toward his wife, who looked a little frightened. He spoke to her gently, touching the top of her hand with the tips of his fingers; she nodded to whatever it was he was saying. It touched me so much that I felt the beginnings of tears sting my eyes. Edward turned back to face me.

"Bella?" He saw my expression and sat down on my side of the booth.

"I'm fine," I said quickly, the tears gone before I could embarrass myself further. He leaned closer and cupped my face in a hand.

"Let's go, ok?" He murmured. I stood up and he helped me into my jacket before reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. He tossed some money; the top bill a hundred, onto the table and moved to the counter where the husband and wife had gone back to their work. He said something I couldn't hear and they smiled. Edward took my hand and led me out; glancing around once we were outside. He sighed, "I'm sorry that happened. It's that guy, he's like that. He tries to get a reaction out of you and then sells the story." We walked down the sidewalk with no particular destination in mind. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"It's alright." And it was, for the most part. He put his arm over my shoulders and held me as closely as our walking would allow. "The park?" I offered; it was quickly becoming our place.

The only place where we could seem to be alone.

* * *

Author's Note: Don't worry, I'm getting to the good stuff ;)

Also, confession - I do about 80% of my writing in my office at work, so when I don't post for days it's usually because I'm really busy. My boss is away for the next two weeks, so I'll be writing like crazy if I'm not busy.


	10. Interlude 3

A Brief Interlude…

"Did you hear that?" Alice asked, lifting her head off the pillow. "Bella's home," she stage whispered, scrambling off the bed. "You have to go!"

Jasper was still catching up; he sat up on the bed before hearing Bella calling for Alice. "Why?" He asked, disappointment shading his question as he looked toward the sound of footsteps.

"It's not that, it's just Bella thought there was some emergency and if she finds us in here…" she trailed off. Jasper nodded once in understanding and stood up.

It had been the best afternoon of his life. They got comfortable on the bed; Jasper on his back with Alice curled around him on her side, and talked. That was all, but it was more than enough. The more he learned about her, the more he knew he could love her, that maybe he already did. Every time he brushed his fingers over her face, her arm, he could picture himself doing it forever. "Can I see you again today?" He whispered.

"Yeah," she paused to look out her window. "Go down the fire escape and I'll tell Bella I'm going out. I'll meet you outside, ok?" He gave her a slightly exasperated, but appeased, look.

They could both hear the footsteps getting louder on the wood floor as Bella approached the door. Jasper opened the window and climbed out, then leaned back in and grabbed Alice's wrist, pulling her to him to kiss her. It was quick, but deep with the promise of a lot more. He was gone before Alice could get her bearings.

Alice dashed over to the door and opened it, "Hi, Bella, what's up?" She tried to catch her breath.

"Where've you been?"

She'd forgotten to think up an excuse that would be plausible. "Oh, Jasper had a family emergency, didn't want to go alone. Sorry we didn't tell you, but he was kind of in a hurry." She put on her best honest face.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, false alarm." Before Alice could breathe a sigh of relief she realized there was someone else in the apartment with them. She smiled wide, "is he _here_?!" Alice hoped it would take some of the heat off her.

"Shh! Yes and be quiet, I wanted to check on you. We're going to dinner, that's it, no story."

She decided to push a little, hoping it would distract from her obviously suspicious behavior. "Ok well I'm going out for the night if you guys want to stay in," she smiled teasingly.

"Alice, please don't."

"I need to finish getting ready; can you do me a favor?" She paused, seeing Edward in the other room, "hi, Edward."

"Hey Alice."

"Um, can you grab my wallet? I think it's in the kitchen."

"Ok."

Alice shut the door quickly and ran over to her window, changing into different clothes at the same time. She looked out and saw Jasper on the sidewalk, waiting for her. He wasn't looking up at the window. She left her clothes in a mess on the floor, slipped on some heels to help even out the height difference, though it really wouldn't help that much, and walked out to the kitchen. She told Bella she'd be out late; she had to prepare for anything, and ran out the door to meet Jasper.

He leaned his back and one foot on the wall of the apartment building, staring across the street at what looked like nothing in particular. He looked in her direction as she rounded the corner. He grinned, "did it work?"

"Yeah, Edward's up there with her; she was too distracted to notice anything." She took his hand, "I'll tell her tomorrow, ok?"

He looked at her softly, "ok. So, he's up there with her?"

"Yep."

Jasper pulled her by the hips to stand as close to him as possible, "so I should keep you out _really_ late then?"

She wrapped her arms around him, "looks like it."


	11. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I've had a couple people tell me this chapter isn't showing up completely so I deleted and then re-uploaded it. Hopefully that helps! If not then it's probably the site, but let me know regardless. Sorry for the trouble!

I'm grateful, of course, for the reviews :)

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Eight

"Oh for goodness sake, Bella, what _is_ it?" Alice was done with subtlety. I knew she'd been trying to figure out the cause of my good mood all afternoon, but I had been trying to ignore her. I should have known that she was impossible to ignore.

Edward had dropped me off here before he went in to work and I felt like I'd been floating ever since. After that morning's breakfast debacle, things had improved tenfold. I really didn't feel like sharing, but I knew Alice would never let up otherwise; I hadn't realized how I'd been acting or I would have put a lid on it. "Ok," I paused to take a quick glance around the store; we'd been unusually busy this afternoon. "He kissed me," I rushed out.

Alice looked at me blankly. "That's it?"

I grinned, "yes, and it was more than just _it_." I knew I shouldn't have said anything by the sudden brightness in her eyes.

"Oh? That good, hmm?"

I tried to keep my story light, but in my mind I was lingering on the events of the day.

We took a slightly roundabout way to the park in case the man from earlier was still around. Once under the canopy of orange and red leaves, we felt the tension lift. It was eleven in the morning and the park was nearly empty; the morning joggers had come and gone and it was too early for the afternoon ones. So we had the place to ourselves. He took my hand and we picked a path, walking idly along it. I really didn't want to talk anymore about what had happened in the diner, so I asked him random questions to keep his mind off it. What's your funniest memory? Favorite vacation? After a while, he seemed to loosen up, relaxing his posture, the hardness gone from his face.

"If you could invite any five people, living or dead, to a dinner party, who would you pick?" He asked. He walked off the path and sat on the ground against a tree trunk, pulling me down with him. I situated myself so my back was resting on his chest, my ankles crossed between his much longer legs. He put his arms around me.

"Umm, Jane Austen…Romeo-"

"He's fictional," he mumbled into my hair.

"I can pick dead people, but not fictional ones?" I smiled to myself at his logic.

"Ok, any five people, living, dead, or fictional." He kissed the back of my head and I felt a fluttering in my stomach.

"Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Romeo, Elizabeth Bennet, and Mr. Darcy," I finished. "You?"

He seemed to turn the question over in his mind for a moment, "you put me on the spot."

"It was your question," I turned my face part way toward him. He took it as an opportunity and kissed my cheek, lingering close enough that I could still faintly feel his lips on my face.

"Yeah, my question for _you_," he murmured. I turned my body in his lap so we were perpendicular, both my legs now over his right one.

"Are you stalling?"

He looked at me and smiled crookedly. "No." He tilted his head down and kissed the tip of my nose.

"You are too," I managed to say before my mind began clouding over.

He touched my face, running his thumb over my cheekbone, and brought me ever so slightly closer. "I don't stall." He held my gaze, "I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing." He brushed his lips across mine lightly at first, then deeper as we settled into the kiss. He tasted sweet and vaguely minty. I felt his mouth open and I pressed myself to him, no longer caring that anyone might see. After a while, our kisses became languorous and I was beginning to think that the both of us skipping work wouldn't be bad when he stopped us by pulling back. I almost fell forward onto his chest when he pulled away. I looked down, a blush I didn't know the reason for coloring my cheeks. He lifted my chin and I noticed his breathing was heavy. "I've wanted to do that since the coffee shop."

"Why?" I couldn't help myself.

He rested his arms around me, "how is it that you can't see what I see?" He put his chin on top of my head and I shrugged my shoulders.

We stayed in that spot until it was time for me to go to work. We kissed and talked about whatever occurred to us in the moment; he never did answer the dinner party question. I had parked my car at work that morning and then walked to the diner, where Edward's car was still parked. He still insisted on driving me anyway, so we walked back to his car, growing wary the closer we got. No one seemed to be around, though I didn't really know what to look for. A fake shrub? An unmarked van? He drove me the few blocks to the book store and then stole a quick kiss before I got out. He said they were planning on filming all night, but that he could stop by in the morning if I wanted.

That was a big yes.

So that was what actually happened; what I told Alice was more along the lines of – we went to breakfast and that was a disaster, went for a walk in the park, he kissed me, and a disaster turned into the best day I've had in a long time.

She nodded in approval. "So when are you going to see him again?"

"He said he'd stop by in the morning," I was already anxious for him to come back.

The afternoon sped up and we didn't get a chance to talk much. That evening after we closed the store Alice said that she didn't have her car and suggested that we have date night. As I drove to a little Mexican food place, she seemed nervous; which she never was. Her self-assurance was mind boggling at times in fact.

We sat at a little corner booth and ordered almost right away. My stomach was growling; I hadn't eaten since breakfast. "So, remember how I told you I was seeing someone?"

I dimly remembered, "yeah?"

"Well," she paused to look at me, "it's Jasper."

"_Finally," _I leaned back in my seat and laughed at her incredulous expression.

"What?"

I sighed, "He's…" I probably shouldn't, oh what the hell, "he's been carrying a torch for you for as long as we've known him, Alice." I regretted saying it right away; I hoped it wouldn't scare her.

Instead, she tilted her head and grinned, "really? Did he tell you that?"

"No, I could just tell."

"Hmm," she thought about that for a second and then nodded to herself. She leaned forward, "ok, so tell me about Mr. Cullen and stop holding things back."

I appeased Alice with minor details about Edward throughout dinner; I could tell she wanted more, but I wasn't comfortable with it. I also couldn't quite hold back my curiosity about Alice and Jasper's sudden togetherness. "So, how did this happen?"

She looked down at her water glass, running her finger around the rim. "I don't know, it just happened, you know? It's like I was looking at him for the first time and now…I can't picture myself without him." She paused to look in the direction of her purse; it was buzzing. "Oh, my phone." She reached in and grabbed it, looking at the screen, she stood up. "It's my mom."

I smiled to myself thinking about how happy Alice was. It was rare; actually I don't think it had ever happened, that we were both in relationships at the same time, let alone ones where we felt like this.

Alice came back to the table after a couple of minutes. "My mom saw the pictures of you in front of the store."

I froze; Alice's parents owned the book store we worked at. Technically, Alice didn't have to work there; for some reason she seemed to enjoy it. I thought back to the pictures I'd seen of Edward and me I online. In the second two, we were saying goodbye outside the store; it was right before he got in his car to leave. Could you see the name of the store in the background? My heart beat faster, "am I fired?"

Alice chuckled, "no, she thought it was great. She said business should pick up since girls are going to think he hangs out there."

"Oh…that's great." I thought about all the women that would gladly throw themselves at him and my self-consciousness took over.

We watched a movie together once we got home; I think Alice could tell something was the matter. What had Edward said before, _how is it that you can't see what I see? _I don't know what he saw, but I saw women. Lots of them, clamoring all over him. I went to bed that night thinking about Edward, about how lucky I was, and how afraid I was of losing him.


	12. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that's reading and enjoying this story, as of now, it's the longest thing I've ever written, period.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Nine

It was Friday and I hadn't seen Edward since he'd come over a couple of mornings ago and that barely counted because he was so exhausted. He tried to make conversation, but ended up falling asleep on the couch. I didn't mind too much, my sleep the night before had been fitful at best; so I put a blanket on him and turned on the television, hoping the white noise would lull me under. When I finally did fall asleep I dreamed that Edward and I were at a party, it was so crowded we could barely turn around; at one point someone grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper into the crowd, he laughed and let himself be pulled away. I didn't have to be Freud to figure that one out.

Alice and I were working the morning shift together and thankfully, she was laying off the Jasper talk. Truthfully, I didn't really care; the way he looked at her, it was like she was living in her own personally fairy tale. They didn't talk much when we all worked together, but their connection was as obvious as a steel cable.

We spent most of the morning in a whirlwind. The news had gotten out about the newest idol spending time at a little independently owned book store and now Alice and I hardly had time to look at each other, let alone talk. A few of the more brazen girls came straight up to us to ask about "that girl from the pictures" and whether or not they were dating. The official party line was that we didn't know anything. In general though, the girls came in pairs and lingered around different sections of the small store, browsing through random books that I'm sure they didn't really want.

By the afternoon, Alice and I were more than ready to leave. Angela and Jasper came in to take over at three; Angela reminded me that we had made dinner plans, which I'd completely forgotten about. We decided to meet at a little Italian place down the street when she got off work at eight.

Alice had some shopping to do; I declined her invitation to join and went home instead. I grabbed the tattered copy of Wuthering Heights off my nightstand and lay down on the couch, hoping the sun would come out so Edward would be let go for the day. The weather didn't seem to be listening to me though.

My phone's trill ringing woke me up some time later. I don't know how long I'd been asleep, but when I looked outside the sun was setting. I grabbed my phone and squinted to see the time on our cable box; it was 6:30.

"Hello?" I mumbled, my voice hoarse from sleep.

"Bella? Did I wake you?" If Edward was tired, the smooth sound of his voice did not betray it.

"It's ok; I hadn't meant to fall asleep."

"How was your day?"

"Good, the girls found out which book store you were at so it was pretty busy."

"Did I get you in trouble? If I'd known-"

"No, Alice's mom was thrilled actually; she appreciates the business." I rearranged myself on the couch, pulling a blanket down to cover me. It still smelled slightly like Edward. "Are you still at work?"

"Yeah, twelve hours so far, I think they're letting us go in an hour or so. Do you want to meet for dinner?" I could hear the hopeful edge in his voice and it was almost enough to make me cancel my plans with Angela.

"Um, actually I told Angela I'd meet her for dinner tonight…"

"Oh, can I see you afterward?"

"Definitely." I told him I'd call him when I got back home. His free night was a surprise and I was suddenly more than a little excited.

I parked near the restaurant just after eight o'clock. I went inside and put our names down, then sat on a small bench near the door. It was warmly lit and smelled good enough to make my mouth water. Angela got there just as the hostess called for us. She apologized for being late and commented on how abnormally busy things had been.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that." I was afraid I was making it sound more serious than it was.

"Is everything ok?" She asked as we sat down, pulling off our layers of outerwear.

I waited for the hostess to leave before starting my somewhat embarrassing speech. "Ok, do you remember meeting Edward? He was in the store with me a few days ago." She nodded and I continued tentatively. "Well, we're sort of, not sort of actually, we're dating."

"That's why it's been so crazy at the store?"

"There's more to it…see, ok, the thing is, he's an actor. I don't know if you've heard or not, but they're making a movie in the area and he's in it." I waited for a reaction, but Angela simply sat there, waiting for me to finish. I rushed the rest of my story out. "The other day, someone took a few pictures of us and two of them were in front of the store. The pictures are online now and that's why it's been so busy. Everyone thinks he hangs out there or something."

Angela looked at her hands on the table for a moment before continuing; she tilted her head a bit and looked up at me. "That must be really weird for you to be…exposed like that."

"It is sometimes, I try to ignore it."

Angela laughed quietly to herself. "When I met Edward, I asked if he worked at the store, that's kind of embarrassing now."

"He thought you were nice." In actuality, he hadn't really said anything about Angela, but it was a pretty safe bet that he liked her; she was hard to dislike. The waitress came back and we ordered food and two glasses of wine. I rarely drank; I'm not sure what compelled either of us to ask for it.

We were halfway through dinner and our second glass of wine when Angela brought up Edward again. She leaned forward, her fork poised over her plate, "so, what's he like? I mean, you don't have to say if you don't want."

I took a sip of the water I'd asked for a few minutes ago before speaking, "he's…" I couldn't think of a word that would describe how fantastic I thought he was. I smiled and looked at my plate, "he makes me happy. He's wonderful." When I looked up again, Angela was grinning at me.

"Well good, I'm glad."

Neither of us felt the need to go into much further detail which I appreciated. We walked to my car after dinner and I drove her to where her car was parked on the next block. It had been a nice night; Angela was very shy and sweet and I had a feeling we were going to become good friends.

I called Edward as soon as I got home; he picked up on the first ring. He had showered and eaten at his hotel already, so he said he'd be right over. I debated showering myself, but then decided that was silly. I did, however, brush my teeth. Alice left me a note saying she probably wouldn't be home at all that night; her insinuation was not subtle in the least. I changed into some soft, dark blue flannel pajama pants and a white tank top; I was aiming for casual, but was afraid it looked too much like I was about to go to bed. Edward knocked before I had time to change back into my jeans.

I opened the door and tried to act normal, suppressing the butterflies that had been building in my stomach all afternoon. He smiled my favorite lopsided grin and took a step inside, wrapping his arms around me in the process. He pulled me up off my feet and kicked the door shut lightly behind him. My surprise along with everything else quickly melted when he tilted his head to kiss me. He had the same slightly sweet flavor to him. After a moment, he set me back on my feet, but didn't pull his mouth away. I could feel my body like a tightly wound spring and was disappointed when I realized I was running out of air. Edward kissed me once more softly before pulling away. "Hey, I missed you," he murmured. I wanted to say it back, but I couldn't find my voice. I took a step back to look at him. He wore a pair of dark, soft looking jeans and a dark grey v-neck sweater with a tiny bit of white t-shirt showing underneath, and no jacket. His hair was slightly damp and disheveled as always.

I took his hand and led him over to the couch. I had no idea what we were going to do, but thought we might as well get comfortable. The television was off and the only light came from a lamp in the corner. It smoothed out his features and made me want to run my fingers over his cheekbones. Edward sat at the corner of the couch and pulled me onto his lap so my back was resting partially on him and the arm of the couch. I snuggled into him and didn't say anything for a while. I could feel his breathing slow as he ran a hand through my hair.

"Are you working tomorrow?" He asked.

The sudden sound startled me a little. "No, not until Monday, are you?"

"No, I am on Sunday though. Will you spend the day with me?"

"Yes," I grinned up at him. He kissed my nose and then moved to my mouth. I discovered that I could kiss Edward all night and be perfectly happy.

After a few minutes of this, I realized that my previous discovery had been wrong, sort of. I wanted more than to just kiss him. A lot more. I tried to think back as I got a moment to breath; Edward had moved to kiss my jaw, just underneath it, my neck.

What was I trying to remember, again?

How long had we known each other, a week? That didn't seem right. I felt as if our lives were woven together now, like if you pulled one thread, the entire thing would come apart. I couldn't say how I got here, but I knew one thing for sure; I was falling in love with him.

Edward grabbed my hips and repositioned me on his lap so I was straddling him, all the while his mouth never left my neck. I could feel the heat coming off him, or was that me? I put a hand in his hair, the other I touched to his chest; I could feel his heartbeat. He moved up to kiss me again.

"Stay here tonight," I whispered. He gave me another quick kiss and pulled his head back to look at me. He brushed some hair away from my face without saying anything.

I balanced my fragile ego on his expression while I waited for him to speak.


	13. Interlude 4

A Brief Interlude…

Alice and Jasper hadn't had sex yet. Granted it had only been a week, but relationships like this didn't happen every day. He seemed to instinctively understand her which is something she had never experienced. More than that though, they _fit_. It made her wonder more than once why she hadn't seen it before and how she could have gotten so lucky. He was becoming her touchstone of sorts. They would talk or just sit together when the day was over and his presence alone calmed her down. They balanced each other.

Alice assumed Jasper was trying to be a gentleman when it came to the more carnal aspects of their new relationship, but what she didn't realize was that while this was true, Jasper was also nervous. Alice wasn't exactly being subtle either, she rarely was anyway, but this was really obvious.

Jasper played into it as well, to a point. The night Alice walked in on Bella and Edward was the last time she had done anything physical with Jasper. They made out on the couch like a couple of teens. She was giving him the go-ahead signals and Jasper had his hand most of the way up her shirt before he realized that they'd just started dating. So he stopped and they talked, again. She enjoyed it of course, but she was more than ready for the next step. They were emotionally connected enough in her mind.

And Alice never did anything slowly…or halfway for that matter.

She had invited Bella to go shopping with her, but what she really needed was a sounding board. Her goal was to pick up a few things to…change Jasper's mind.

Alice went to a boutique rather than a mall partially out of fear of running into her mother; that was an explanation Alice wasn't prepared to give. She tried on one little satin number after the next, trying to find something perfect. After most of the afternoon was gone, she had finally decided on three. Two she could wear under regular clothing, the third she'd have to excuse herself to change into.

Their flirting had gotten more and more suggestive as the week went on and that night Alice was upping the ante.

When she got home Alice showered, buffing her skin until it gleamed, used her favorite lotion that cost about half a paycheck, and slipped into one of her lacier choices. After that, she put on a dark cocktail dress and heels.

Jasper didn't know it yet, but Alice was staying the night.


	14. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I'm overwhelmed at how great the responses have been to this story, thank you many times over.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Ten

Edward waited an interminable amount of time before doing anything, long enough that I wasn't sure if he'd heard me. All the requisite thoughts went through my head – is he coming up with a nice way to turn me down? Has he decided that we shouldn't be together anymore? Then what was with the kiss at the front door? Does he just want to be friends? I don't kiss my friends that way.

_Say something!_

He stood up and lifted me at the same time so my legs were around his waist; he looked in the direction of the hallway and I hoped this was the answer I'd been waiting for. I managed to get out a hoarse "first door on the left" to get things moving. He shouldered the door open all the way and then sat me on the bed in a way that was much gentler than the look in his eyes. My previous wants were now being trounced by uncertainty, so I sat there and waited for him to take the lead.

And then he pulled his shirt off.

If I hadn't already been sitting down I would have needed to. I did a quick mental inventory of what I looked like without clothing and decided that I didn't quite compare.

Not able to help myself, I reached out to grab the waistband of his jeans; his skin felt warm and very smooth under my fingers. He stepped closer to stand between my legs and then leaned down to help me move back on the bed. I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep him as close as possible, to which he very willingly complied. We lay diagonal across my bed, tangled up in each other, kissing. I felt his hand slide under the hem of my shirt to rest along my ribs; I tried not to let the faint tickling sensation distract me. His other hand moved to my leg, which he pulled up over his hip. We stayed like that for a while as I tried to stay present, but really all I could think (between bouts of 'wow he's gorgeous') was – I can't believe this is really happening.

I think maybe I jinxed myself.

Edward righted us on the bed so my head was on a pillow and moved his hand from under my shirt to trace his fingers on the sliver of skin exposed between the bottom of my shirt and my pajama pants. He kissed me once and whispered, "I think we should take some time before…"

I froze – before what? Before we had sex? How much time? Was it that difficult to sleep with me? "Oh," I replied, trying to sort out my many self deprecating thoughts. He pulled me closer.

"If you're thinking I don't want to, you've never been further from the truth." He looked like he was suppressing a grin; he knew he'd hit it right on the head.

"No…" I said, trying to keep my tone light. I looked down which brought my gaze to his chest; it was very distracting.

"Hey," he murmured, raising my face back up. He kissed me again and that's when I lost complete track of time, my thoughts, and anything else not going on in this room.

After a while, I felt Edward raising the hem of my shirt. My heart beat faster; had he changed his mind? I didn't want to ask to find out. I could feel him repositioning to lay over me, although I could barely see him in the darkness. He moved lower and his cool breath raised goose bumps on my stomach. He kissed my hip and raised my shirt higher; I lifted myself enough so that he could pull it off.

Edward tossed it somewhere behind him and moved back up to lay next to me. He toyed with the thin shoulder strap of my bra, "I thought…we should match." Before my hope could completely deflate he pulled me against him, turning so I could lay on his chest. I resisted a strange urge to giggle.

He traced his fingertips over my back and before I knew it, I was asleep.

I woke up some time later; I couldn't tell what time it was, but it must have still been the middle of the night. I'd forgotten where I was laying and my sudden stirring woke up Edward. "Hmm?" He asked, still half asleep.

"Nothing, sorry," I wrapped the blanket tighter around us as Edward kissed the top of my head.

"You talk in your sleep," he mumbled. I was glad he couldn't see my face in the dark of the room.

"I…I do not," I stammered; though I knew very well that I did. Alice had mentioned it once before.

He chuckled, "yes you do. You said 'Edward'."

I buried my face in his chest, "oh my God." My voice sounded funny muffled by both sleep and him.

"Don't be embarrassed; I like it."

That just served to embarrass me further. I pulled the blanket over my head, childish I know.

"Don't do that; I can't see you." Playfully, he flipped us so he was on top and I lost my grip on the bedspread. I covered my face with my hands, though I wasn't as serious as before; it was becoming a kind of a game. He laughed and tugged gently at one of my wrists, but I didn't budge. "Ok then," he said mischievously. I could feel him moving lower, but I wouldn't peek to see what he was doing. I was starting to feel silly until Edward grabbed either side of my pant legs by my thighs and pulled; I was totally and completely focused on what he was doing at that point. I was also trying to remember which underwear I had on. I could feel the elastic of the waistband sliding downward, thighs, knees, ankles, and then all I could feel were Edward's hands running up my legs. I shivered. My own hands were resting at my sides. "Does that mean I win?" He asked.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

"You uncovered your face," he looked down at me with heavy lidded eyes.

"Yeah," the blood seemed to have stopped circulating in my brain.

"What do I win?" He raised one side of his mouth in a smile.

"Me?" I was pretty sure that's what he was hoping I'd say.

He nodded in approval and kissed me not-so-gently. I didn't mind at all. He turned us so we were on our sides and when I felt his hand move to the button of his jeans I was sure I was going to spontaneously combust. I could hear the zipper pulling through the teeth, the quiet shuffle as he kicked them off and then for a brief moment I wondered – boxers or briefs? I slid my leg up to rest on his hip and discovered, oh, boxer briefs. I had that urge to giggle again which was stifled as Edward's mouth moved to my collarbone. At that moment I decided to just enjoy however far he was willing to take this.

"And you didn't even _have sex_ with him?" Alice asked me dubiously.

I shook my head. It was Monday morning and Alice and Angela listened while I recounted (in not-so-shocking detail) my Friday night with Edward. Alice sat at the desk next to me while Angela leaned over the counter on the customer side.

"I think it's sweet," Angela remarked. Alice raised an eyebrow at her. "It is, it's sort of…I don't know, romantic." Alice made a 'hmph' noise, but didn't say anything.

"It is," I agreed. "Frustrating, but nice too."

"Well I don't get it." She paused, mulling something over. "Want me to take you lingerie shopping? It worked wonders for me," she grinned conspiratorially.

I turned back to my computer screen, "Alice, I really don't want to hear about your sex life."

"I won't tell you about it," she chuckled. "I'll just help you out with your own. You'd look great in a dark blue –"

The door to the shop opened then and a group of girls walked in, talking in low but excited voices. We all knew why they were here so we put our game faces on. The curly haired one came striding over. "Hi, so I know this might sound, you know, crazy or something, but have you guys seen Edward Cullen here? Lauren," she gestured behind her, "said she read something about him being here all the time."

Before I could say that we hadn't seen him, Alice piped up brightly. "Oh yeah, he used to come in here all the time. Actually, he met some girl here; it was so random, she was just browsing the fiction section and he went right over and started talking to her. I hear they're dating now. Sorry, but you really blew it, should have come sooner; it could have been you." She looked nonchalantly back to her computer screen, ignoring the open mouthed expression of the girl in front of her. I felt my face blush a deep crimson; I looked up to see Angela suppressing a laugh.

"Oh," she looked back at her friends. "Um…" she reached down and grabbed a magazine from the shelf below the counter, "I'll just take this then." She paid quietly and left with her friends; there was an outburst of voices as soon as the front door closed.

"Alice," I said sharply. "What the hell?"

She laughed, "I'm sorry, but I've wanted to do that since they all started coming in here."

"It wasn't funny."

Angela let out a snort.

"Ok," I relented, "it was kind of funny." I went back to work, living Friday night over again for the millionth time. I hadn't seen him since Saturday morning; he was called in to work at dawn so we couldn't spend the day together. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. But he did spend the night and I got to see him in his underwear, which was a visual that more than made up for any residual depression. We'd talked on the phone every day since then, our conversations getting more and more evocative.

I was beginning to wonder how long I could hold out.


	15. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Many thank you's due for everyone that's reading this story; you guys are the best.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Eleven

Edward was working almost without a break and though he wouldn't complain, he sounded like the walking dead on the phone. Regardless, by Wednesday I was having withdrawals. I promised him I would stay awake to let him in if he would come over and stay the night. He knocked at the door around 12:30 a.m. and truthfully, I had dozed off on the couch. I jumped up at his knock and tried to make myself seem more awake. When I opened the door I found that it wasn't necessary; Edward was practically asleep on his feet. He was leaning on the door jamb, a small bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey," I smiled, letting him in.

"Hey," his voice had a dreamy quality to it that I knew came from sleep deprivation. His hair looked like he'd been running his hands through it all day. I led him in and he went straight into the bathroom after giving me a quick kiss, meanwhile I turned off the light and walked into my bedroom. He came in a few minutes later wearing a pair of dark flannel pajama bottoms and I was reminded of the last time he slept over; I had kind of been hoping he'd go without. I moved from my seated position on the bed to get under the covers and he followed. I turned so we were facing the same direction and he wrapped an arm tightly around my middle; I could feel him pressing himself closer. "I missed you…I feel like I say that a lot."

"Just one other time, I missed you too."

"You smell good."

"Thanks," I chuckled.

He was quiet for long enough that I thought he'd fallen asleep before he spoke again. "Do you want to come to the set tomorrow? If you come around one, we can have lunch together." He kissed my head.

I thought about it for a second. I could, I didn't have to go into work until three, but the thought of going to the film set was a little intimidating. "Ok," I said before I could chicken out. His work did have me curious; acting had always struck me as this big game of pretend for really beautiful people.

He kissed the spot where my neck met my shoulder and mumbled a quiet, "good…by the way, Rosalie's been asking about you."

Rosalie? "Who's that?"

"The lead in the movie, she's been asking why I seem so much happier since the first time we worked together."

"Oh." I was suddenly nervous.

Edward slept better than I did, as a matter of fact he barely moved all night. The last time I looked at the clock it was 2:30 a.m.

He was up some time around dawn; he moved around the apartment so quietly I didn't even realize he was up until he woke me to say goodbye. He leaned over and brushed my tangled hair away from my face. "Bella," his voice sounded soothing, it made me want to pull him back into bed. I opened my eyes part way to look at him. He was freshly showered, his damp hair sticking out in several directions; I could smell his soap. "I'm going to work; I'll see you at one ok?" I couldn't form many coherent thoughts at the moment, let alone listen to his directions on where they were filming. So I nodded as if I understood and let him kiss my cheek before he left.

When I woke up a couple of hours later I heard Alice in the kitchen making coffee. I got up and stumbled my way out of the bedroom.

"Morning," Alice sang out, flitting around in a little silk robe.

"I thought you didn't drink coffee?" I sat on a stool next to the island. Alice looked…energetic.

She spun to face me, "I don't, but I need it today," she grinned in a way that needed no further explanation. "So," she switched gears, "you're going to the movie set today?"

I raised my head from where it had been resting on my hand, "how did you know that?" She handed me a note.

_Bella, you didn't look very awake this morning so here are the directions to the set. Give me a call and I'll meet you out front._

I was grateful; I couldn't remember a thing he'd said before he left.

"So, I want the dirt on _everybody_, so take time away from making eyes at Edward for that, ok?"

I took her cup of coffee away. "Should I take notes?"

"No," she missed my sarcasm, "that would be too obvious. Mostly I want to know about Rosalie Hale." There was that name again. "They worked on some other movie together too, I hear they dated." She seemed to catch herself, but not before she said that last part. "Probably not though, I read it in one of those gossip magazines; they never get it right," she backtracked.

"It's fine, Alice." As much as I tried to deny it, the seed had been planted. _Had_ they dated?

I finally pulled into a makeshift dirt parking lot on the far outskirts of town after getting lost more than once on my way to see Edward. The lot held several other cars and looked to be at the edge of a forest. It was darker here, the tall trees and clouds blotting out much of the light. I didn't see any people.

I'd called Edward a few minutes earlier and he said he'd meet me at the front, but now I wondered, the front of what? I got out of my car and looked around; there was a definite path that curved between the trees and when I walked over to it I thought I could hear what sounded like a generator. So that's the way I went. The low hum mixed with the dark and absolute stillness of the woods was eerie; I pulled my coat tighter around myself. Somewhere in the distance behind me, a branch snapped.

"Bella!"

I heard Edward's voice call out, but I couldn't see him. I stopped and looked around. "Edward?" I saw movement in front of me to my right and then Edward was jogging out from between the trees. I smiled in relief.

He swept me into a hug. "Hi, sorry, I meant to meet you at your car, but I got stopped by the director." He kissed me softly and then pulled back. "Ready?" I noticed then that he was wearing make-up which would have been amusing had I not already known why. It went down to at least his shirt collar and made him look even paler than normal. His hair was also in a more artful disarray. I nodded and he led me off the path and into the woods, a short cut, he called it. I clung to his side and concentrated on keeping my footing.

By the time we were near a clearing I had only tripped once and my anxiety was up a level. They appeared to be getting ready for a scene, but really, they could have been getting ready to chop down a tree and I probably wouldn't know the difference. People milled about doing I had no idea what, some nodded toward Edward when we passed, others ignored us indifferently. He led me around the hustle toward an open space where a large, white canopy was set up and a few other people appeared to be sitting at tables. Once we were closer I realized it was their version of a cafeteria, the food set up buffet style along the far edge. There were long, fold-out tables which were about half empty and for that I was oddly relieved. We walked over to one end of the buffet and grabbed plates and plastic silverware; I grabbed some pasta salad while Edward seemed to grab everything else. We had a table to ourselves; Edward ate ravenously while I picked at my food, looking around for the infamous Rosalie Hale.

"Are you alright?" He asked between bites.

"Yeah, I just didn't get much sleep last night," I took a mouthful of food.

"Oh, sorry I-"

I interrupted, "no, it wasn't you." I paused, "I prefer it when you're there." That seemed to sate him.

Just then, Rosalie strode in and I almost dropped my fork. I wish I could say that she really didn't look that good, that it was make-up and lighting and Photoshop, but it wasn't. She was stunning and tall and blonde and graceful, so pretty much the opposite of me. She gave Edward a little wave as she approached our table. I suddenly felt very mousey and disorganized. "Edward, I was wondering where you'd run off to, they're almost ready for us." I might as well have not been there.

"I'll be there in a minute. Rosalie, this is Bella," he stood up and I followed suit. She reached her hand out to shake mine.

"Nice to meet you," I took her hand, it felt like ice.

"See ya, Edward," she said, then gave a little nod in my direction.

I sat back down, not sure how to classify what just happened. She was nice enough, civil at least. What was I expecting?

"Can I watch?" I don't know why I asked, but it was out before I could stop. "I mean, it's ok if I can't. I don't mind."

He looked a little put off by my question, I wasn't sure why. "I don't know if you'll want to watch this part."

"How come?"

"It's…a pretty romantic scene today and I'd you rather you-"

"Edward, I know what you do for a living…I can handle it."

Famous last words, right?

I checked the time; I had a little less than an hour before I had to leave if I wanted to make it to work on time. We both took a couple more bites of food and then made our way back to the set. Edward took me to an area that was far enough that I wouldn't be in the way, but close enough that I could watch them film. He sat me in a vacant chair and gave me a kiss, his gaze lingering on me for a short moment.

He jogged over to where Rosalie was waiting, along with a small entourage of people fixing her hair and make-up. He slipped out of his coat and handed it to one of the women, then rubbed his hands quickly up and down his arms. He wore only a light button down shirt under the jacket. They mussed with his hair and straightened his shirt for a moment before backing away. A lady with a megaphone called "action" and all the crew went silent. I listened intently as Edward spoke, walking with Rosalie; he spoke with a quiet intensity and I was immediately lost in the scene. As they were walking, Rosalie tripped on a broken branch and started giggling. The director told them to back up and do it again. They ran through it again, but Rosalie couldn't stop laughing. On their fourth or fifth try, she'd relaxed enough to make it through the scene.

I watched transfixed as Edward, in character; spoke about being together with her, about the risk she was taking and how it could change her life. He moved closer and took her face in his hands; I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. _It's just a movie, this is his job. It's just a movie._

Then he kissed her.

It only lasted a few seconds before the director called "cut". Edward looked over in my direction right away and gave me a lopsided smile. I smiled back, trying not to let my discomfort show. He turned like he was going to walk over to me, but the director motioned for them to do the scene again.

After the third kiss, I had to leave. I couldn't walk over to say goodbye so I left him a voicemail as I made my way to my car. I walked as fast as I could manage back down the trail; it seemed like it had gotten darker in the short time since I'd gotten there.

The thoughts mixed with each other in my mind. _They worked on some other movie together too, I hear they dated. _Rosalie's girlish giggling. The girls at the book store. The girls _everywhere_. _Does he have a girlfriend? _I looked at myself in my rear view mirror; I was so ordinary by comparison.

What did I have to offer?


	16. Interlude 5

A Brief Interlude…

Alice and Jasper couldn't keep their hands off each other. Not that anyone would really know, they'd committed to keeping things discreet. Everyone knew they were together of course, but Jasper was on the shy side when it came to public displays of affection. So when they were at work they were just Alice and Jasper – coworkers, to the untrained eye. Most of their glances went unnoticed by the general public, except for maybe Bella. Alice knew she could see right through their politeness.

In the store it could be torture. For Jasper, not Alice. Alice was having fun. She would leave him notes, find ways to touch him, send a smoldering glance in his direction. It caught him off guard and he found himself unable to flirt back so unabashedly. Most of the time, all he could do was stare; he was sure it came off as creepy to everyone but Alice. He couldn't help it.

And after she'd shown up at his apartment, wearing that little lacy number…

He couldn't get the visual out of his head, not that he'd wanted to. It still blew his mind that Alice even wanted to have sex with him, let alone be in a relationship with him. Technically, he hadn't known she was wearing it right away. They went out and had dinner and drinks before going back to his apartment. She excused herself and came back a few minutes later wearing next to nothing. It had done the trick.

They lay in bed together afterward when she mentioned that she'd had it on under her clothes all evening. This started a brand new round of arousal. She was wearing _that_ the _whole_ time?

There was something about her though, besides all of that other stuff, something that made him feel more…more like himself. The Jasper without all the pretenses; it was like she could see right through the walls he'd constructed like they'd never existed. He knew he loved her and that in some way he had for a long time.

Now he also knew she was the one.


	17. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Thank you many times over for the reviews.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Twelve

I spent the rest of the day at the book store with Angela; if she noticed my mood she didn't say anything. We had our hands full with girls coming in to see if Edward was around. At the very least business was good.

By 7:30 things were finally winding down. I was trying to keep the attention off me by asking Angela a lot of questions; she was shy, but didn't seem to mind answering them. She said she was still dating Ben; he had started at the store the same time she did. Her eyes went soft when she talked about him which was cute, but made me think too much of Edward. He had called once this afternoon, but I let it roll to voicemail. It said that he was sorry he couldn't say goodbye and asked if I was alright. He said he might be able to come by after the shoot, but his agent wanted to talk to him first so he didn't know how late it would be. There was a worried edge to his voice, but I wasn't sure if he knew why I actually left so abruptly.

A girl walked in just before we were going to start closing up, she smiled briefly before moving swiftly to one of the shelves and pulling out a book. Angela rang her up while I shut down my computer; I could feel the girl watching me.

"I'm sorry, you look really familiar," she said.

I glanced up, but didn't recognize her. "I don't know…" I wasn't sure what to say. She looked at me for another moment and then her eyes lit up; I looked back to my screen.

"Are you…Edward Cullen's girlfriend?"

I kept my eyes down, "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

She saw through my weak lie, "sorry to bother you. It would be cute though…if you were." She gave me a knowing grin and walked out with her book. I didn't know what to make of it; she didn't have that look to her that most of the girls that came in here had, that adolescent predatory thing. She looked…happy for me.

Angela faced me, "have you been getting that a lot?"

"That? Not really, most people don't recognize me." I brushed it off.

We closed the store and I headed home, both hoping and not hoping that Alice was there so I'd have someone to talk to. I had tried not to think about everything, but nonetheless my self-consciousness had reached epic proportions by the time I got home.

It wasn't the kissing…ok part of it was the kissing, but it had more to do with me in relation to Edward. Who was I really? Some shop girl nobody he met when I spilled coffee on him. I suddenly felt as if I had no real ties to anything in my life, like it could all be taken away at any minute. What would happen when Edward was done filming? I couldn't expect him to stay here with me. I also couldn't be so presumptuous to believe that he'd want me to leave with him. I didn't know what to do; I didn't even know where I stood with him. Was I his girlfriend? Someone he was just biding his time with? I thought we were in it together; I thought I could handle everything as long as Edward was with me. And he has been, it was me that was running scared. I felt very distinctly like I was getting in over my head.

When I got home Alice was there, but it looked like she was getting ready to leave. She picked up on my mood as soon as I walked inside. "Hey, are you ok?"

I shrugged, "yeah, I'm fine." I set my things down and walked over to the living room where Alice was slipping her shoes on.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. "I know you too well for you to pull that line on me, young lady. What's up?"

"It's nothing really; I think I'm just overreacting."

"Did something happen on the movie set today?" She leaned back on the couch, facing me.

"Yeah, well no, kind of. He had to kiss that Rosalie girl and-"

"That's just part of his job; you know he doesn't mean it."

I sighed, "it's not that; it's just…I don't know. I guess I feel like there's nothing about me that holds him, you know? I realize that wasn't a great explanation…" I trailed off.

"Then you can't see what I see," she paused, gathering her thoughts. "I've seen the way he looks at you Bella, he's hooked." She smiled part way. Just then our buzzer sounded and Alice looked toward it. "That's Jasper; I probably won't see you until work tomorrow. Stop thinking so much, you have nothing to worry about." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and hopped up to leave.

I sat on the couch for a while trying to decide if I was even going to bring it up with Edward. I didn't even know how without humiliating myself.

My phone rang sometime around nine o'clock. _Edward_. I felt my heart quicken at the thought. "Hello?"

"Hey it's me, can I come over? I need to talk to you."

He did? About what? Has he decided I'm not worth it already? "Yeah, sure. Is everything ok?"

"Yes," he paused, "ok, I'm here."

"You are?"

The buzzer sounded, startling me. I stood up to let him in, hoping that I looked decent. I opened my door when I heard him in the hallway, so much for casual. Edward smiled when he saw me, walking just the slightest bit faster. He pulled me into a hug that almost lifted me off my feet and walked me backwards into the apartment, closing the door behind him. "Hey Bella," he said into my hair. "I took a chance and called right outside the building."

My stubborn fears didn't go away, but they did loosen their stranglehold on me momentarily. "What would you have done if I said you couldn't come over?" I looked up at him; he looked as worried as he'd sounded on the phone.

"I would have gone back to my hotel if you didn't want me here. Let's sit, ok?"

I nodded and led him to the couch, my nerves rising.

We faced each other; I was almost in his lap. "I had a meeting with my agent and publicist today and they got a call from MTV; they want to do this thing where they follow me around for a day. I don't know why they'd want to, but they do. It's 'a day with Edward Cullen' or something like that." He inhaled.

"Oh," I wasn't expecting that, "are you going to do it?"

"Yeah, but what I wanted to ask you was…well, should I keep you out of it?"

"Oh," I said again; I bit my lip. On the one hand, please please please leave me out of this thing. The thought of people with cameras following me around is scary; the thought of it being aired on television is terrifying. Another thought then, what would that mean for us? "I, I don't know."

"I understand if you don't want to – I'm not even all that enthusiastic about it. They're sending out camera people on Saturday and they're set to shoot it on Sunday. So I wouldn't really be able to see you this weekend if you don't want to be in it, but I was thinking, this was the part I really wanted to talk to you about - if you wanted to - this could be our way of…announcing ourselves. I don't know how you feel, but I don't like hiding the fact that I'm with you. I like the idea of us in the open, you know? Not way in the open, but enough...I'm proud that I'm with you." He reached for me, running his fingertips over the back of my hand. I could feel myself melting. He murmured, "I'm happy with you Bella."

I looked at him for a long moment; I couldn't figure out how someone like him came into my life. I remembered something I'd said to him after we first met_, I want to be with you; I can deal with the rest if the first part stays the same_.

I read the expression in his eyes; it was a mix of hope and worry and something else I couldn't describe.

Then I realized - he truly wanted to be with me too. In the open, no other girls.

Just me and him.

I inhaled, "ok, let's do it."

"Yeah?" He smiled hesitantly.

"Yeah."

He pulled me into his lap to kiss me. After not enough time, he pulled back to rest his forehead on mine. "Thank you." He kissed me again, much more slowly and deliberately.

I had no idea how much time had passed, but eventually we decided to go to bed. I wasn't tired. Between the excitement of kissing Edward and the nervousness that was building over what we were about to do, I wasn't ready for sleep. There was also something else.

I was in love with him. Of that I was certain.

Edward was lying down on his back when I came in from the restroom; I got into bed and he wrapped an arm around me so I could lay closer, resting my head on his shoulder. I tilted my head up to kiss him and he wrapped himself tighter around me. I could feel myself getting breathless.

He didn't stop.

I couldn't say when it happened, but from one moment to the next Edward was pulling me on top of him.

Outside I could hear the rain. Inside I could hear the muted sounds of clothing being shed and falling to the floor, my own breathing, and the faint whisper of my name from Edward's lips.

* * *

Author's Note: Don't worry, it's coming. Metaphorically speaking.


	18. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Enjoy.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Thirteen

I kissed under his jaw just light enough that he could feel it and he tightened his hands on my hips, then smoothed them up my sides and back down to my legs, his touch no longer feather-light. I sat up and Edward followed. I wrapped my legs around him while his mouth trailed from my own to the hollow of my throat, my shoulder, chest, moving so slowly that at times I held my breath, waiting to see which way he would go. He brought his mouth back to my ear and I heard my name again, followed by the softest feeling of teeth on my neck. It made me shiver.

Edward's pace was unrushed, with every kiss and touch seeming to stretch on indefinitely. The only indications that he might have been more tightly wound than he was letting on were the soft moans he let escape after a while. I, on the other hand, felt like a piano wire, newly tuned and strung tight. I ached in places I never had before and could only wonder at Edward's perfectly languid pace juxtaposed with my own frenzied state of mind.

Just when I thought the anticipation might break me, Edward grabbed me around the waist and flipped us over so my head was suddenly resting on a pillow, with him hovering over me. I had barely even felt the movement.

I felt everything after that.

The way his hands felt on me, the cool feeling of the air when he'd move his mouth from one part of my body to another. How he took his time, mapping every square inch. The sound of his moans and the way he liked to look into my eyes when we settled into a rhythm. And the tightening and release of our bodies together in the darkness, the way we collapsed into each other afterward.

1:15 a.m.

I tried to shift as softly as possible, but Edward was a light sleeper so I woke him up anyway. I had fallen asleep on his chest; I moved so I was next to him, my arm over his middle. "Hey," he murmured. He ran his fingers up and down my arm.

"Hey, sorry I woke you."

"That's ok…I want to tell you something, but it's kind of silly." I felt his head tilt slightly.

"Hmm?"

"Filming today…"he trailed off for a moment. His voice sounded thick with sleep and I wondered how alert he was. "When I read the part you watched…I imagined saying everything to you…" He readjusted and before I could say anything, he was asleep.

2:07 a.m.

I touched Edward's shoulder lightly. What was it about the night that lowered your inhibitions?

"Bella?" He turned so we were facing each other.

"I want to ask you something," he waited for me to speak. "Did you ever date Rosalie Hale?" I closed my eyes tight, feeling like a jealous girlfriend.

Edward chuckled. "Who told you that? Alice?" He brushed some hair away from my face and I opened my eyes. "We went out once, it was a set up; we had the same agent at the time." He brought his face closer. "We went to dinner together, but there was more chemistry between her and her own reflection in the water glasses than with me. We get along well enough I guess in measured doses…Does that answer your question?" He touched his forehead to mine.

I smiled, feeling a little foolish for asking. I guess it was something I needed to know, but now that I did I realized it didn't matter. I kissed him; I intended it to be innocent enough, but that course quickly veered into different territory.

This time I was on top.

2:54 a.m.

"The best part is the travel; there aren't many jobs where you can do that and still get to really see the place you're at, you know?" He was lying over me, his chin resting on my stomach.

I ran a hand through his hair. "What do you miss?"

He waited a beat before answering, "my parents, but they're really supportive. They were even ok with me moving away right after high school. Ok, my turn," he kissed my stomach, trailing lower. I felt the tip of his tongue move across the skin of my hip. I let out a soft moan which just encouraged him. He moved his ministrations to my inner thigh and I took in a sharp breath.

Stringing a sentence together was coming close to being impossible. "I, I…thought it was your turn."

My interruption didn't faze him. "It is," he mumbled against my leg.

And far be it from me to deny him his turn.

3:49 a.m.

"Bella?"

I was lying on him again; it had become possibly my favorite place to be. I raised my head to look at him.

"I love you." His body was very still as he tried to process my reaction.

I raised myself up further, leaning my weight on my elbows at either side of him. I had this urge suddenly to remember everything, the sound of the rain still pouring outside, the ticking of my old flea market clock on the wall, the boyish hopeful look on Edward's face, and my own racing heart. "I love you."

He beamed at me and brought me closer for a kiss.

4:15 a.m.

I think this is what heaven must feel like.

I was stretched out on my stomach, the blankets pooled around my waist. Edward was sitting up massaging my back.

Pleasure doesn't even begin to cover it.

We aren't talking, just enjoying the company of each other. After a while he punctuated his massage with a kiss along my spine. It raised goosebumps so Edward pulled the blanket over us and lay down, pulling me until we are perfectly aligned. Neither of us care that we have to be up in about four hours, other than to note that we _only_ have four hours left together before the day will start around us. The night has felt like a world where we are the only two in existence.

"G'night," I murmur, cuddling in even closer.

Edward moves his mouth close to my neck; my back feels warmer against his chest. "Good morning," he kisses the space just below my ear.

We settle in, finally, to sleep.


	19. Interlude 6

A Brief Interlude…

Alice was in love.

She had never been in love before, but there was no denying that this is what it was. So why couldn't she just tell him? Was it possible she was actually nervous? Alice was rarely nervous about anything, especially when it came to the opposite sex so she couldn't understand what her problem was. And the way Jasper made her feel, he relaxed her, made her feel more centered, she was surprised the words didn't just tumble out of her mouth of their own accord.

She was spending almost every night at Jasper's apartment; it wasn't the nicest of places – the carpet was old and worn and it smelled faintly musty when it rained – but when she was with him it didn't matter.

Alice had it _bad_.

It was a strange twist for her, she was always so in control of everything. Alice had a way of always getting what she wanted, of being able to do exactly as she pleased. She didn't take advantage of it, but it was nice to know her gumption would pay off. So now she felt faintly lost and unsure of herself.

The questions ran rampant through her head – _what if I told him and he didn't feel the same way? Wouldn't it be less romantic if the girl professed her love first_? Alice wasn't what you might call a traditionalist, but still. _What if he did feel the same way and we were both dancing around the subject, wasting our time? What if all these questions were just my way of avoiding having to do anything?_ Nothing was going to change the fact that Alice loved him.

Ok, it was decided then, she was going to tell him – consequences be damned.

But how? And when? Where?


	20. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Sorry this was such a long time coming, but thank you for being so patient! I hope it was worth the wait. ***I made a tiny edit (just fixing a typo)***

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Fourteen

_The Night Before "A Day with Edward Cullen" _

_11:30 p.m._

"So, I was thinking…" and being distracted by a firm, but gentle hand running down my hip, Edward was, in a word – insatiable. Not that I minded in the very least (are you kidding?). I had been trying to bring up the subject of the television show all day, but kept being – what word had I used, again? – oh yeah, _distracted_. I tried to focus my rapidly waning attention to my own thoughts. I cleared my throat, "I was thinking…"

He mumbled against my stomach, "mm-hmm, you're always thinking." I felt a soft nibble on my bare hip that made me shiver.

What had I been thinking about?

I felt his tongue on my hip where he'd just had his teeth. It must not have been that important; I'd already completely forgotten. I arched my back a little as Edward made his way back up my body; I knew he liked it when I did that. I heard a soft groan followed by the whisper of my name that made my entire internal monologue drain like pulling the stopper in a bathtub. He kissed my chest below my collarbone before raising his face to look at me. "About what?"

"What?" I looked at him blankly.

"You said you were thinking about something."

"Oh." I tried to remember, but was distracted by his hair which stuck out in every conceivable direction. I giggled. "Your hair looks funny." I said when he raised an eyebrow at me. I knew I must not sound very intelligent, or coherent, at the moment, but I didn't really care.

He grinned crookedly, "Bella." He ran a hand through his hair quickly. He kissed the tip of my nose before continuing. "You're very distracting; you know I can't stay here all night, unless you want the camera guys here at seven tomorrow morning. I'm sure Alice would appreciate that."

Oh that's right, the camera guys. Filming Edward…and me, for television. I was going to be in front of a camera. Edward and I had decided to stop hiding our relationship, but now I was having trouble remembering why I'd agreed to announcing ourselves on national television. "When is this supposed to air?"

"I'm not sure; they want to get it out pretty soon. A week or so?"

"I was thinking," I paused.

Edward laughed. "You've mentioned that."

"Yeah, so…is it absolutely necessary that I be on camera with you?"

He furrowed his brow, "are you having second thoughts?"

"Well no, not about the not hiding anymore part," I brushed my fingers along his cheekbone, trying to relieve the tension I saw building in his features. "Just the being on television part, not even that really, just the me being on television part. Couldn't you just, I don't know, say something about me instead? Or, I could give you a picture of me and you could hold it up to the camera and say I'm your girlfriend." I nodded to myself; I could live with that.

He tilted his head to the side, "Bella, I know you're afraid of what this might do for your life, the loss of privacy, but I promise you, I'm with you. I'll be right by your side the whole time. And it'll only be temporary, the media has a short attention span; after the movie is out they'll forget all about us. Right now they're just building hype." He paused, "but…if you're not ready, I don't want to push this on you…" he trailed off.

I sighed, "Edward, it's not that." I had made peace with the fact that he was in the public eye and I believed him absolutely when he said he'd be right by my side. In light of that, being afraid of being in front of a camera seemed pretty silly, at least, maybe to everyone but me. I could feel the blush building; I was glad it was dark. "It's just the…" I covered my eyes with my hands, "it's the cameras. Do they have to use cameras?"

It was silent and then I heard Edward start chuckling, "that is typically what they use to film people. Just so we're clear – are you afraid of people knowing who you are? The loss of privacy? Or are you just afraid of being on camera?"

I nodded.

"Which one are you nodding to?"

I let my hands fall so they were at either side of my head; I looked at the ceiling. "The second one." I was afraid to look at him; my crimson face probably glowed in the dark.

I felt him scoot up to put his face in my line of vision. He was holding back a smile, "why does that scare you?"

I pushed back on his shoulder and sat up, he followed suit, making his expression serious to mirror mine although I could tell he was still amused. "Remember the day we met?"

"The day you scalded me," he grinned.

"Yes, that day," I said flatly. "Well, imagine that, but on television – with millions of people watching."

"Bella, I really doubt millions of people are going to be interested in watching what I do all day."

I turned to face him, "I think you seriously underestimate your fan base. Anyway, it'll be bad. The coffee thing was just me on a normal day. Now, me nervous and in front of cameras," I paused for effect, "that's bad. Who knows what I might do."

He pulled me back down to the bed and lay on top of me, but I was not to be deterred. "Bella, it'll be fine. You really won't even be on that much. You'll be at the signing, right?" He was referring to the book signing set for later that evening; he and Rosalie were signing copies of the book the movie was based on.

"Yeah."

"Just act normal, love. The producer might ask you a couple of questions, just answer the ones you're comfortable with and you'll be done. Pretend the cameras aren't there and pretty soon you won't even notice them. They won't make you say or do anything you don't want to." He kissed my cheek. "Look, if you really don't want to do it, you don't have to." He looked at me, waiting for an answer and doing that smoldering gaze thing.

I gave up. "Ok, ok, I'll do it." I had a feeling I was going to regret this.

Edward smiled brightly and kissed me. "You may even like it."

"I highly doubt that."

He chuckled and began trailing kisses across my collarbone. I could feel the distraction beginning again and I welcomed it. Then I felt him start laughing quietly against my chest. "You know, that coffee thing was pretty bad."

I smacked his shoulder, "Edward! What happened to me being charming? You're the one that said it."

He planted another kiss on my chest and looked up, a goofy smile on his face. "You _are_ charming. It's just the burning coffee part, that really hurt," he was still smiling.

I tried to push him off me, but he just slipped his arms under my back, tightening his hold.

"I'm being serious," he was grinning, but I could see his expression changing from amused to turned on; after all, my chest was still in his face. He kissed my neck. "It left second degree burns on me."

"It did not."

"It did," I felt his tongue on the hollow of my throat. "They thought I was going to need surgery to repair the damage."

"Shut up."

He laughed.

I decided to play along. "Where did I burn you?"

Edward flipped us so I was on top; I moved to straddle him. He pointed to a spot a couple of inches below his throat; I kissed him there. "And here," he pointed to another spot a couple of inches below the first; I kissed him there too.

"I'm sorry I burned you. Feel better?"

"Not quite," I could see a smile playing at his lips.

The next morning I was up before Alice, which was a first. I made a quick breakfast and sat in the kitchen, thinking about what was in store for me that day. The film crew had gotten to Edward's at seven; it was 8:30 now. They were going with him to the movie set so I didn't have to worry about seeing them until later that afternoon. The plan was for them to stay away from apartment in case the paparazzi were lurking anywhere. Edward didn't want them to know where I lived and the cameras and people going in and out would be a dead give away. We were going to the book signing together; he was going to pick me up from my book store. He'd wanted to do the signing at my store, but it wasn't big enough. Alice's mom, the owner, only agreed to my being seen on television in a larger chain store on the condition that her store made the final cut of the show somehow. Alice changed her shift so she could be at the store when I was which I appreciated.

From there we would go to the other book store and eat dinner. There was going to be food set up for us and the rest of the cast and crew that was going to be there. The producer wanted to talk to me one on one during the signing; that was the part I was the most nervous about. Edward would be busy and there'd be no one around to keep me from putting my foot in my mouth. After the signing, Edward was taking me with him back to his hotel. They wanted to do another one on one interview with him and then a joint interview with the both of us. That, I thought I could handle; I figured they'd mostly be interested in what he had to say anyway.

I sighed and glanced at the clock; it was time to get ready.


	21. Chapter 15

Author's Note: I wanted to squeeze the whole thing into one chapter, but it got a mind of it's own and decided it needed to be split down the middle. Also, there is a picture of Bella's outfit on the Tinsel Town section of my profile.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Fifteen

"Do you think it's too late to back out?" I asked Alice; I was fidgeting on my seat pretending to work at the book store which had actually been closed for an hour so they could film us. Edward was due over any minute and the butterflies in my stomach were threatening to overthrow me.

"Yes, Bella," Alice sighed. "You'll be perfectly fine; you're going to be charming."

"That's what Edward called me when I spilled coffee on him. What's the equivalent of spilling coffee on a national audience?"

"Bella," she turned in her chair to face me. "Breathe. Don't think of the people watching, no one is going to see it right away anyway. It's you and Edward and a couple of other people, that's it."

"Does it look like I'm sweating? I feel like I'm sweating."

"Bella-"

"Stop saying my name like that, it's making me nervous."

"_That's_ making you nervous?"

"Yes." I heard the quiet chirp of my cell phone indicating I had a text message. I opened it up. _We're here_. "They're here. Oh my God, they're here. What do I do? I forgot to ask him if I should l meet him in here or outside, oh _crap_ I'm screwing this up already." I stood up once, and then sat down again. "What do you think?"

I could tell Alice was trying to be serious for me. "I think you should stay right where you are, let him come and get you."

"Ok, ok good…How do I look?" I had let Alice help me get ready today, in the sense that she did my make-up, my hair, and told me which clothes and shoes to put on and which purse to carry. Surprisingly, she kept everything within my comfort zone. I had on some mascara and the tiniest amount of blush (she said she didn't want me to look like a corpse on television); I kind of liked it, my eyes seemed brighter and I looked like I had higher cheekbones. She consented to let me wear jeans, a pair that she'd bought just for the occasion. They were a very dark blue and slim fitting. I also wore a sheer black, silk top with a tie at the waist and black high heeled boots that she made me practice walking in until I had it down pat. My hair was down and blown out so it curled in soft waves around my face and down my back. I had to give Alice credit; she really knew what she was doing.

"You look gorgeous, Bella. You'll-" Alice was interrupted by the door opening. We both stayed seated, but turned toward the door. Edward walked in, followed by a very big man in jeans and a long sleeved shirt with no camera.

I was holding my breath until Alice elbowed me in the side.

Edward smiled at me, "Bella."

I stood up and smiled back, too afraid to say anything. Edward had on his favorite dark jeans a navy blue polo shirt tight enough to give me ideas.

"Bella, Alice, this is Emmett; he's producing the show. Emmett, this is Bella and Alice." He gestured toward each of us.

"Hi," Alice said brightly.

Emmett smiled, it softened up his face but I couldn't decide if that made him more or less intimidating. "Good to meet you both, are you nervous?"

I tried for a laugh, but it came out more like a sputter. "A little, it's nice to meet you, Emmett."

"So let's get this show on the road. Here's how it's gonna work; Edward's going to walk out and then back in like he's picking you up. Just pretend it's the two of you unless I ask you a question. Don't forget the camera is rolling because anything you say or do is fair game, got it?"

I nodded.

"We'll go to the book store and eat; I won't film that part, I'm too freaking hungry. We'll have one guy film the signing while I talk to you alone," the way he said it sent a new wave of butterflies through my stomach, "we'll do a couple more interviews at the hotel and then I'll take off. Sound good?"

I nodded again.

He grinned crookedly; it didn't look as sexy as when Edward did it. "You're allowed to talk."

I could feel myself blushing already.

Emmett looked at me for another moment before taking a step forward, "here, put this around your waist under your shirt," it looked like a wide elastic belt; Edward helped me put it on. "The mic will go there," he handed Edward what looked slightly like a small walkie talkie that he attached to the belt thing. He let his fingers linger on my skin. "Ok, now Edward, leave and come in again like it's the first time, be normal."

Edward nodded and winked at me quickly before walking out. Once he was gone, Emmett moved to stand next to me, "sit down until he comes in." He clapped a large hand on my shoulder, "you're doing fine, just loosen up a little." He backed away so that he'd be out of the shot when the camera guy came in. I took a deep breath.

The bell above the door rung as Edward walked back inside. "Hey," he nodded toward Alice quickly before training all of his attention on me. He looked totally relaxed. I, on the other hand, felt silly for staging his entrance in addition to being nervous enough that I really thought I might be ill. There was only one camera guy and another guy carrying around what Edward told me was called a boom. They seemed to only look threatening to me.

"Hey, Edward," Alice looked at ease too. Was I the _only_ nervous person here? Maybe Alice could trade places with me for the day.

"Hi," I squeaked.

"Ready to go?" He asked, leaning on the counter. I wanted to move forward a little so I could kiss him, but I was afraid I'd miss his mouth or something.

"Yeah," I stood up and grabbed my coat and purse, then stepped around Alice who grabbed my wrist quickly.

"Have fun," she looked at me meaningfully.

I gave her a half hearted smile. "See ya later," I managed. Edward helped me put on my coat led me outside with a hand at the small of my back; his touch was comforting, but not enough to make me forget what was going on. Parked at the curb was a sleek black town car; Edward opened the back door for me to get in before going around to the other side. Emmett got into the front seat and motioned to a camera positioned on us sitting on the rear view mirror.

Instinctively, I looked at it, but Emmett shook his head quickly. "It's better if you don't do that."

I opened my mouth in a silent "oh" and then looked at Edward. Act normal, what would I normally ask him now? "How was work?"

"Good, short. I did some wire work," he grinned at me. Working with the wires was his favorite part of filming; I think it made him feel like he was actually doing all the stunts himself. "It was just a quick scene; I had to be in a tree. What have you been up to?"

"Um," I looked around the car; I felt like I couldn't speak normally with Emmett, the driver, and the camera around, not to mention the other camera and sound guys following us in a second vehicle.

"It's ok," he murmured, moving his mouth closer to my ear. "They'll end up editing most of this stuff out anyway."

"True story," Emmett said from the front.

"Uh, well, Alice went to work on me; can you tell?"

Edward took an appraising glance at me before doing my favorite lopsided grin. "You look gorgeous."

"You know, you're not the first person that's said that to me today."

He looked amused and more than a little curious, "who else?"

I waited a beat before answering; I was trying to look coy. "Alice."

Edward chuckled at me, "well she's right." He wrapped an arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. After a few minutes, Emmett turned around in his seat.

"Ok, we're here. The second camera guy is in there already, Edward; he'll film the signing." He paused as we pulled into the back of the store, "oh, also, it's a madhouse."

"Already?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, is this your first signing?"

"Yeah."

Emmett just laughed to himself.

I looked at Edward, but he just shrugged. The car dropped us off near a back entrance to the store before driving away; a few people seemed to be waiting for us just outside the store. Edward said they were his agent, manager, and someone he didn't recognize. "Edward!" His manager said excitedly. She looked to be in her mid forties and wore too much eye make-up. "Is this Bella? Oh, I've heard _so_ much about you; you sound fabulous. Ok, there's stuff set up inside here, go ahead and eat; they don't need you for another hour or so. Oh, this is Greg; he's the manager of the store." She said everything in a rush; I wasn't sure I caught all of it.

Edward and I shook hands with the manager and were led inside. The store was blocked off so the front two-thirds couldn't see the back third, where we appeared to be. The store manager led us over to one end of a buffet style table; Emmett moved to the front of the line with the camera guy in tow. He filmed Edward putting food on his plate while Edward talked idly into the camera about what he was getting and the low hum of the crowd over the makeshift dark green walls that had been put up. They looked none too sturdy and only went up about ten feet, but seemed to be working nonetheless.

Once we'd served ourselves, Emmett stopped filming so he could eat as well. When he said he was hungry, he wasn't kidding. On his first go around he stacked two plates with a mountain of food each. He sat with his crew, giving me and Edward some time alone. "Hi," I said quietly between bites.

"Hey, how are you?" He pushed his chair so my legs were close enough to be between his.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be; Emmett seems nice."

Edward grinned, "he's a little blunt. Just remember, you don't have to answer everything he asks you."

"Does he get really personal?"

"It wasn't bad on the set; he mostly asked about working on the movie. Oh," he lowered his voice. "He did tell me that he's dating Rosalie."

"Oh?" I glanced over to where I had seen her when we first walked in; she was eating with two people that looked to be part of an entourage.

"Yeah, they met when he was doing all of this with her about a week ago. He also let me in on a few details I would have rather he kept to himself."

I made a face; I could only imagine what he might have said.

We finished eating and Edward's manager came over to tell us it was almost time for him to go out there. She handed him a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste and sent him to the bathroom. "We can't have our leading man smelling like dinner." She said to me while he was gone. I smiled; she was kind of growing on me. I hadn't noticed at first, but the film crew was back at work. Emmett stood to the side watching me and Edward's manager. "You know, I have to tell you, Edward thinks the world of you. I've never seen him like this before."

I could feel a light blush on my cheeks and I looked down for a moment. "Thanks," was all I could think of to say. Edward came back and without hesitation kissed me; I almost forgot there were cameras around.

He kept his face close to mine, "minty fresh," he murmured. The store manager cleared his throat and we broke eye contact to look at him.

"It's time."

Edward took a deep breath and looked at me, "wish me luck."

"Good luck," I kissed him quickly before he was led away by the store manager and someone else I didn't know. He stood behind Rosalie at a curtained off opening in the partitions and waited to be called out. He said something to her and she smiled. The second cameraman was there; Edward made a nervous face at him.

"Do you want to watch for a second?" Emmett asked, coming up from behind me.

"Can I?"

"Sure," he motioned for me to follow him; he walked over to stand behind the camera. Edward was a few feet away; he grinned at me. We both turned toward the opening as they announced Rosalie; she beamed and walked out. A man I didn't know touched his hand to Edward's shoulder, telling him to wait. I listened to them announce him and then all I could hear were the screams of _a lot_ of teenage girls. He glanced at me again before moving through the curtain. I didn't think it could get any louder; I was very mistaken. You know the phrase "blow the roof off the place"? Well, that pretty much said it. I could hear through the noise, calls of "I love you Edward!" among other things I would have rather not heard.

"I _think_," Emmett stretched the word out, "they like him. Ok," he took a deep breath, "show time baby." He put an arm over my shoulders and led me away.

* * *

Author's Note: So, this is completely unrelated to this story, but I've been thinking...

Would any of you be interested in reading other things I've written? I want to make a Myspace/blog/page/website of some kind devoted to my writing (which will include other Twilight related stories, but mostly other stories I've written/are currently writing that are my own fiction). If no one is interested, I'll leave it at that. Let me know what you think.

And thank you as always for reading; I really appreciate it. You guys make my day!


	22. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the positive responses to this story and to reading my other stories as well. I'm trying to figure out the best way to share them right now (if anyone has a suggestion, I'd be happy to hear it). This story is beginning to wind down (wipes brow) and I am already several chapters into my next one. I debated posting it now, but I have a few edits to make first. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Sixteen

I tried not to, but I couldn't help picking at the arm of my chair; there weren't any loose threads or anything, but it's like I couldn't control myself. Emmett had picked up the chair himself and moved it to a slightly quieter corner opposite the buffet; it was one of those big, cushy chairs from the book store that had been moved beforehand to set everything up. It was also the second one I'd been in since the interview began. At first there'd been a big leather chair here, but that didn't work. I kept fidgeting and Emmett said it made too much noise because of the leather. So he went in search of the chair I was sitting in now while I contemplated my various routes of escape.

"Bella, why don't you try laying your hand flat on the arm of the chair or put your hands in your lap or something, ok?" Emmett was sitting in a smaller chair across from me, out of the camera's view.

"Sorry," I didn't know which would be better, so I lay my right hand flat on the arm of the chair and put my other hand on my lap in what I hoped looked like a relaxed position. I crossed my legs, uncrossed them, and then re-crossed them at the ankle.

Emmett laughed, "ready?"

I nodded.

"All you have to do is answer the questions, oh, and don't look at the camera. You're not going to pass out or anything, are you?"

I nodded out of habit and then stopped, shaking my head no.

"Ok, we'll start out easy; what's your name and what do you do for a living?"

"I'm Bella Swan and I work at a book store owned by my best friend's mom," and then, for Alice's mom's benefit, I added, "we specialize in rare books."

"And how did you meet Edward?"

"At a coffee shop."

"Be more specific."

I could feel the heat rising in my face as I answered, "I got up early one morning and went for coffee. It was raining and I'd forgotten my umbrella so I wasn't really paying attention and I just ran inside." I took a breath, trying to dim the Technicolor show on my face. "When I did, I ran into Edward," I looked down and mumbled, "and spilled his coffee all over us."

"What did he do?"

"He was really nice about it and I bought him another coffee."

"Did you know who he was?"

I thought of the adventure at his hotel with Alice. "I knew who he was, but I wasn't really familiar with his work; I hadn't seen any of his movies." I admitted.

"Tell me something the general public wouldn't know about Edward."

I had to think about that; what _did_ the generic public already know? "Something the general public wouldn't know about Edward…"

"The more it has to do with your relationship, the better."

"Um…he's an absolute gentleman."

"How so?"

"He opens doors, stands when a woman walks in, he's polite, that sort of thing."

"How's the sex?"

"Emmett!"

"Hey, I had to ask."

"I'm not answering that."

"Ok, ok, it's that good, huh?"

I blushed and tried to hide the involuntary smile I could feel coming by frowning. "Next question."

Emmett laughed and then continued with the questions. I'd like to say that it got easier to answer them as time went on, but it didn't. Every time I started thinking, this isn't so bad, he'd ask something like – how often do you have sex? Is he any good? Are you guys getting married? Moving in together?

I didn't answer any of those.

After he was finished I got up to get some water, relieved that the torture was over momentarily.

"Are you done with the interview?" Edward's manager came to stand by me. "Edward wanted you to come out when you were."

"Out there?" I asked lamely.

"Yeah."

For some reason I looked at Emmett, who had followed me over with the camera guy, as if I were asking permission.

"Go ahead, just don't be obviously affectionate. People aren't supposed to know for sure about you guys yet."

I followed him to the curtained opening; he held it open for me and I walked through with Edward's manager. The second cameraman was there, filming shots of Edward and the crowd. He and Rosalie were sitting at a long table; several people stood milling about behind them. The crowd was still huge. It seemed to be comprised of mostly young girls and their mother's, who looked just as excited as their kids.

A chair appeared for me next to Edward and I sat down; he was at the far side of the table and I was at the head so we sat perpendicular to each other. He grinned, pausing between signings, "hey. How was it?"

"It was ok I guess. How is this going?"

A little girl, maybe seven or eight, approached the table timidly. Her mother was holding her hand. "Hi," she said quietly.

Edward smiled brightly, "hi, what's your name?"

"Sarah."

"Hi Sarah," he took her book and signed it, then handed it back to her.

"Is that your girlfriend?" She pointed to Rosalie.

"In the movie she is, but not in real life." Edward explained.

"Oh, I guess that's ok." Sarah moved on to Rosalie's side of the table.

"She was cute," I commented.

"Yeah, one other little girl asked me to marry her." Edward smiled.

I grinned at his proud expression; through his smile though he looked really tired. I checked the time and saw that he'd been signing his name for over two hours. "How close are you to being finished?"

"These are the last few; most of the crowd is just hanging out I think."

I sat there for a last of his autographs, watching how he interacted with the people. Even though he must have been exhausted he was kind to everyone; he was interested in them, asking questions and answering the ones they asked. If it was possible it made me love him even more and I had to stifle the urge to say so.

Once they were finished, another man I didn't recognize led Edward and Rosalie out a side exit; I had to stay behind and walk out the way I'd come inside. Listening to the cheers, I had to admit I was a little pleased. I was followed by the cameras as I walked to the town car that was idling again near the door. Some of the crowd was waiting around, seeing the cars and cameras was more than a subtle hint at where Edward or Rosalie might be. I jumped in the car to find Edward already inside, resting his head on the back of his seat.

I sat as close as possible and rested my head on his shoulder. "How do you do this every day?"

He tilted his head to rest on top of mine. "Well, I don't exactly do _this_ every day. It comes in waves." He paused and I felt him kiss the top of my head. "I'm very lucky," he said softly against my hair.

I hadn't actually seen Edward's hotel room before, to say that it was nicer than I expected was an understatement. It was actually a hotel suite; it opened to a living room and through a hallway were his bedroom and a huge bathroom. Emmett and his crew set up a corner to film in and when they were ready, they sent me into the bedroom to wait my turn. I tried to listen at the door, but I couldn't make out what they were saying so I gave up and flipped on the television.

After about an hour there was a knock on the door; it was Emmett. They were setting up lights so that they could film us on the couch for the joint interview. I could feel my nerves coming back, the cold sweat, the sensation of my face turning red; you would think I wouldn't be as nervous as I was the first time. Well, you would be wrong.

I went to the bathroom first to run my fingers through my hair and check my make-up; I still looked decent. When I walked out, Edward was waiting on the couch. I brightened when I saw him; just maybe I could get through this. He was going to be there with me this time; I just hoped that was enough to ease my nerves. I sat down and he rested an arm over the back of the couch. "Are you ready?"

I debated lying to make him feel better, but instead I said, "not really."

Edward moved his arm to rest across my shoulders, "you're doing great, even Emmett said so."

Before I could say anything, Emmett announced they were ready. "Either one of you can answer unless it's a direct question." He paused to look at me. "Ready?"

"Yeah," I said without enthusiasm.

"Wow, she speaks," he grinned. Edward looked at him dryly, but didn't say anything. "Ok, this is a repeat question, Bella, but now it's to the both of you. How did you two meet?"

We went through the story again, but this time it was easier. We played off each other and when Edward saw me start to relax he threw in his joke about how I scalded him. "He's trying to be funny," I said at the end of his little story.

"What do you think is the best thing about the other person?"

"Her selflessness," Edward said immediately. "She handles things with so much grace, it's inspiring."

I looked at him; no one had ever used my name and grace in the same sentence in any capacity before. I could feel the tears coming to my eyes and I tried anxiously to keep them away. I hadn't even answered yet. "Well…he has a sort of quiet kindness about him, no matter what is happening; he's interested, he cares about what you have to say and in what's going on around him." My eyes were beginning to water; it was like I couldn't help it. I can't cry on television; I don't want to be known as Edward Cullen's weepy girlfriend. "And he's really good looking," I added, trying to break the tension. It seemed to work; I could feel the tears receding and I could hear Edward chuckling beside me.

"Physically, what are you most attracted to?"

"His eyes," I said automatically.

"Her eyes," he grinned, "her skin." I could feel myself blushing.

"What's it like dating an actor?"

"It's sometimes hard with everything that comes with it, but worth it. I don't have to go through all the added stuff alone; he's there for me."

"What do you guys do when you're both not working?"

"Sleep," we said at the same time. "We usually stay in and hang out," he added. Naked, I added mentally.

"How do you deal with all the women throwing themselves at Edward?"

"It doesn't bother me as much as it used to; I trust him." Edward looked at me while I answered and then kissed my temple; I smiled.

"What's going to happen when you're finished filming? Are you just going to stay here?"

Edward didn't hesitate, "you'll just have to wait and find out."

* * *

Author's Note: By the way, I know I skipped the Alice/Jasper interlude, but I'm waiting until the end of the story to reveal what they're up to :)

* * *


	23. Chapter 17

Author's Note: This is the last official chapter, but there are still two more updates after this (an Alice and Jasper interlude and an epilogue). I can't even begin to tell you how much your reading this story has meant to me; you guys are the best.

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Seventeen

_Two Weeks Later_

"Alice, I really don't want to watch it. It was hard enough to do it; do you really think I want to embarrass myself further?"

"Oh come on, you know I'm just going to bug you until you sit down so you might as well just do what I say now and save yourself the trouble." She was standing by the living room, her arms crossed.

I knew it was no use arguing, but I thought I'd give it a try. I took one more look at her impatient expression and gave up. I sighed, "alright, but if it gets bad I reserve the right to walk out."

She did a little hop, "ok, deal. Now hurry up, it's starting."

I did as I was told as Alice switched it to the right channel. Edward was filming through the night so Alice offered to record it for him; he said no, but she was doing it anyway. I watched as the opening credits flashed on the screen and the voiceover started, cringing mentally if not physically.

During the introduction, shots of Edward and me mixed with Edward working and interacting with fans flashed across the screen. The voiceover talked about Edward finding love while on location and all the difficulties of balancing fame and a new relationship. So far, there was nothing too bad. The show began with Edward's morning routine, getting ready, and going to the set. A group of fans had set up camp at one of the borders; they were bundled up and must have been freezing, but were in high spirits. Two of them held signs professing their love for Edward. He walked over and said hello, signing a few autographs and posing for a picture before heading past. The shot then cut over to me at the book store during my one on one interview. "My life is definitely more interesting with him in it."

"Hey, I thought _I_ made your life more interesting." Alice remarked.

"You do Alice," I placated. We watched Edward's interview on the set until the first commercial break when Alice got up and opened a bottle of wine.

She sat down and handed me a glass, "here, you look like you could use this."

"Thanks."

After the break, it showed both me and Edward in his hotel room. "She threw coffee at me," he was smiling widely.

"I did not!" TV me replied. I could see myself blushing. "Oh God…" I said, staring at myself on the screen.

"Shh, I'm trying to hear." Alice complained.

"Alice, you already know the story."

We went back to watching the show. "I was soaking wet and just wanted to get inside, so I rushed in without paying attention and I ran into him and spilled his coffee-"

"Down the front of our shirts." He cut in.

"I'm going to the bathroom," I set my glass down and got up to escape. I walked back in a couple of minutes later. "Is it safe yet?"

"Yes, sit down will you?" Alice was doing the exasperated look she did so well.

The screen showed Edward sitting in a folding chair on the movie set; I sat down to watch. "There was just something, I don't know, I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was beautiful and clumsy –"

"Oh thanks," I said to the television.

"and I knew I had to see her again."

We listened while Edward talked about working on the film set, how busy he was and how he was hoping to get a break after the movie came out. He said he wanted to spend more consistent time with me, that he hated feeling like he was always ducking out to be somewhere else.

When it went to commercial again, Alice turned to me, "you guys are really cute."

I was going to brush it off, but I was becoming more and more concerned with how I was looking to the people watching. "Really?"

"Definitely, you guys look so in love it's sickening."

I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or not.

When it came back on; it showed Edward and me on our way to the book signing; it was the part of the drive where I mentioned Alice and she clapped her hands. "You said my name on television!"

I watched myself being let out of the car; Edward had his arm around me, leading and shielding me from some paparazzi on the corner that I hadn't noticed were there. The screen changed to me in the hot seat. "He's very protective; he makes me feel safer."

"Aw," Alice smiled.

It showed Edward signing books and talking to the fans; I saw the little girl that asked him to marry her. He actually blushed which may have been the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"I'm very lucky," I listened to him whisper it against my hair again on the drive to the hotel; I looked so happy. The shot changed to us walking inside; we both looked worn out. TV Edward kissed me in a not so quick fashion before I was sent into the bedroom. Then it cut to me again; I was smiling, watching him sign the little girl's - Sarah's - book. I could hear Edward's voice over the scene. "I couldn't say what it is specifically about her because it's everything about her." Me and Edward in his hotel, laughing together at something while sitting on the couch. "She's so aware of the people around her; she puts everyone before herself. I've never met anyone even remotely close, nobody touches that." Edward helping me with my coat. "And she's so real, there's no façade, just this innocence. It makes you want to protect her; you gravitate toward her."

"Alice, are you crying?"

"What?...No…of course not."

I looked back at the screen; we were sitting in his hotel again. "He makes me feel…more like the me that I like and less afraid of things," I noticed Edward pull me closer, his fingers absently stroking the shoulder his arm rested on.

I heard Emmett's voice in the background, "what's going to happen when you're finished filming? Are you just going to stay here?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out."

I thought back to that night, of what happened once Emmett left.

I was sitting on the couch, while Edward let everyone out, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Once the door was shut, he flopped down on the couch with me, his head resting on my lap. The couch was a little short so his feet sat up on the arm; he stretched tiredly. "Done," he said, satisfied.

I played with his hair, "it wasn't so bad."

He looked up at me, grinning, "I think I'm going to have to hear you say that again."

I rolled my eyes, "it wasn't so bad. Emmett was entertaining…if completely inappropriate." We sat there for a while not talking; it was nice after being surrounded by people all afternoon, all day for him.

Edward's eyes were closed, "I love you, Bella."

"I love you." I went from running my fingers through his hair to rubbing his head; he looked like he would purr if he could. I heard a low rumble from his chest as he exhaled and I smiled.

He opened his eyes, "Come with me."

I assumed he meant the bedroom, "ok." I was getting less tired by the moment.

He sat up, "I'm serious, come with me, Bella, after this is over, come with me to California." He was practically in my lap, his eyes bright.

I froze, come with him to California? "But…Alice…"

"We can come back here and visit, or we'll fly her and Jasper out; you know she'd love California."

"My job…" My argument was feeling a little on the feeble side. I wasn't exactly saving lives at the book store, but it was my job. I had a responsibility to Alice's parents, didn't I? Truthfully, I knew I didn't want to work there forever, but I wasn't sure what I really wanted to do.

"You can get another one, or not if you don't want to. I can take care of you; you can figure out what direction you want to go in; you wouldn't have to worry about anything. You could take your time, find something to do that you really love." He was talking to me in earnest now; I could feel his enthusiasm coming off him in waves.

I thought about it, what would I be leaving behind? Alice, she was my best friend. Could I just up and leave her? Plus, she couldn't afford that apartment on her own. I wouldn't want to throw her life upside down to be with Edward. My job I was less concerned with; I knew I wouldn't be that hard to replace there. But did I really want Edward taking care of me? Was I that girl? I knew that I wouldn't let him pay my way forever.

The questions were still churning in my mind when I realized I hadn't answered him. He was still staring at me, hanging on my expression. I looked at him and everything clicked into place. "Yes."

"Yes?" He looked at me like he was afraid I would suddenly change my mind.

I could feel the smile before it actually appeared. "Yes," just like that I knew it was the right answer; I knew it was exactly what I wanted. He grabbed me around the middle and pulled me into his lap; he held me tightly and I could feel his face buried in my neck.

"Thank you."

I chuckled, "you don't have to say that."

"Yes I do." He raised his head and kissed my cheek while I finally let the tears fall. "I love you so much."

"It was really good."

I was brought back to the present by the sound of Alice's voice. "What?"

"The show, it was really good."

"Yeah," I was still distracted by the memory of that night.

"You're not still freaked out about moving, are you? I swear Bella, if you chicken out and make that poor guy leave without you –"

"I'm not 'freaked out' Alice, well maybe a little, but I'm still going to do it."

Alice had reacted astonishingly well to the news. I told her everything and the first words out of her mouth were, "go for it." She waved off my worries about leaving her, saying she'd be perfectly fine. Of course, as long as she got to visit from time to time. "How often does this kind of love happen, Bella? There's no way I'm going to let you stick around here saying 'what if' for the rest of your life."

And that was that.


	24. Interlude 7

A Brief Interlude...

Alice was sitting on Jasper's couch rehearsing her speech for the hundredth time. They were watching a movie, well, he was at least. She was trying to keep straight everything she wanted to say, but the more she thought about it, the sillier and more clichéd it sounded. _I can't imagine my life without you in, who says that? Seriously._ With that, she was suddenly floundering, with absolutely nothing even remotely intelligent to say.

Without warning, Jasper turned off the television and faced her. "I love you, Alice."

It was like she had been struck dumb, he said what? This whole time he'd been feeling the same way and he didn't say anything? Alice could have saved herself a lot of time and energy if she'd known he was going to say it first. Several different thoughts were beginning to occur to her. She looked around his apartment, not realizing she hadn't said anything to him. Repositioning herself so she was facing him she looked into his eyes. "Move in with me."

Jasper's mouth opened slightly. "I – did you just hear –"

She moved closer to sit between his legs, taking his face in her hands, "I love you." He kissed her before she could speak again, his arms tight around her waist. "I'm serious, move in with me," she said breathlessly when she pulled back.

He already knew Bella was moving out; he ticked off his mental list of anything he should be worried about - nothing. "Ok," he kissed her forehead.

Alice beamed at him and moved forward to kiss him again. She pushed him back on the couch, "now that that's settled," she grinned at him playfully.

"On to more serious matters."


	25. Epilogue

Author's Note: This is it! Again, thank you so much for reading!

Nice reviews are better than chocolate, unless maybe you're licking that chocolate off someone.

* * *

Epilogue

_One Year Later_

"They eloped?" My eyes widened; that was something I hadn't been expecting to hear that morning.

Edward nodded, "in Vegas last night. He called while you were in the shower; he wanted to tell me before the news outlets found out."

"I never pictured Rosalie as the drive thru chapel kind of girl." She and I had never become close, but Emmett and Edward had taken an almost immediate liking to each other; his eternal frat boy balanced well with Edward's older than his years maturity.

Edward shrugged, his attention for the topic of conversation waning.

"So…" I began. _He's trying to distract you_, I thought to myself. Well, maybe I'll let him…just for a minute. I was sitting on the kitchen counter with Edward standing between my legs, his mouth making his way down my neck. "So, we need to be…at the airport…by noon," I managed.

I heard a mumbled "mm-hmm" from him.

I pulled back a little, "which means we have to leave in five minutes."

His hands were skimming up my legs and under my sundress, "I'm game if you are," he grinned mischievously.

"Edward."

"What?" He asked, feigning innocence. "They're going to be here for a week, we'll have to be good."

"This house has five bedrooms; we don't have to put them right next to us."

"When was the last time we had sex in the kitchen?" He thought this was a good argument.

"A week ago."

"Oh, that's right." He looked a little dejected as he stepped back and set me back down on the floor.

I put my arms around his neck, "I promise I'll make it up to you," I smiled for effect.

"How?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out."

He grinned at me crookedly.

We made it to the airport a little late; I could see them sitting outside the baggage claim area as we pulled up. Alice spotted us first; she jumped down from where she'd been perched on her absolutely massive suitcase and ran up to our SUV. I jumped out as soon as we were stopped to hug her and then everyone else in turn. Jasper looked happier than I'd ever seen him, his standoffishness absent as he smiled in greeting; Angela and Ben said hello last, still endearingly shy.

"Let me see it!" Alice exclaimed once we were all finished saying hello.

Edward came over to me and put an arm around my waist; he lifted my left hand to show to Alice proudly.

She gasped, "it's beautiful, Edward you've outdone yourself."

He kissed my head, knowing this was probably embarrassing for me. He'd proposed the month before and as soon as I told Alice, she insisted on planning everything. I was admittedly lost and only slightly grudgingly turned the reigns over to her, with full veto power on everything of course. They were here for the engagement party which was the next day on our property. We figured we'd have the most privacy there; the press had had a field day when they discovered our engagement. To my dismay, I kept being referred to as Cinderella.

Our house sat on a very private stretch of land on the Southern California coastline. It was quiet and picturesque and we loved it. Edward could usually find me on our front deck reading or studying. I was part way through a teaching degree; it was something I never thought I'd get into, but always secretly wanted to do. Edward was ecstatic, but repeated that it wouldn't matter to him if I didn't work. I had gotten very comfortable in California, but I knew teaching was something I wanted to do for myself.

I thought about everything that had led me to where I was now during the drive back to our house. Edward held my hand and I caught him glancing in my direction now and then. I still didn't know how I'd gotten so lucky, how I'd been able to make a life for myself where I had everyone I loved within reach. But I had stopped asking questions.

I squeezed Edward's hand.

It was a good life.

end

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the story; it was a lot of fun for me to write. Anyone interested in a sequel? I've spent an inordinate amount of time searching for pictures of Edward and Bella's house and I keep getting plot ideas at random times; it's beginning to take over my thought processes.


End file.
